Code Geass: The Missing Code
by Rei Blackstone
Summary: It has been ten years since "the Tyrant" died at Zero's hands, but Hannah questions what happened at that time.  Hannah confronts Zero on a subject and he walks out on her but she finds a new source and there is something not right about this kid. OC
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass or any of its characters.**

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_It is the year 2028 it has been ten years since Britannia's tyrant 99__th__ emperor Lelouch died at Zero's hands. The progress of the world has gone from one of grudging hate between peoples of different nationalities, races, and religions to one that has new found respect between people with great differences and works around them. This great age is led by Britannia's Empress Nunnally "The Innocent", Zero, the leader of the Black Knights, Prince Schneizle of Britannia, and Empress Tianzi of the Chinese Federation among others._

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Hannah sat at a table with a stack of tabloids beside her with sticky tabs sticking from the top of the pages. She was reading an article about the massacre Euphemia vi Britannia. It was controversial and the images were gory but it gave a good start to the event. "Bloodstained" Euphemia was in the tabloids for a week till the Black Rebellion washed her from the headlines and she was overshadowed by Lelouch's tyranny.

As she read she tapped her pen on a notepad that had several pages rolled over the top and she had written about three quarters of the way down. The writing was scrawled in Japanese, English, and French, in bold prints, erratic cursive and just scribbles from her boredom but one symbol was sketched all over the page was a bird sketch with the wings coming from an sharp angle down to a sharp u body. Another thing that stood out was underlined and bolded in thick block letters, "**? ROLO LAMPROUGE?"**

She finished reading the article and put the tabloid on the stack with the others. She stretched and looked at her watch, noticing the time she jumped up and pushed her chair in as she gathered up the notes and put them in a bag with a laptop and a few other items. Picking up the stack of tabloids she dropped them off at the librarian's station and waited a moment before she was helped.

A short fat balding man walked over to her and collected them from her. "Do you need me to put these on hold again?" he asked as he shifted them into a more comfortable position in his arms.

Hannah stood for a moment thinking before replying, "Yeah, hold them for a day if I don't come back tomorrow just put them away," her voice was sweet and innocent that made anyone want to protect her; not that her looks didn't help. Hannah stood at average height and was half Japanese, a quarter Britannian, and a quarter French, she had soft features, long straight black hair that was twirled up into messy knot at the back of her head. Her eyes were special as they could change colors depending on her mood, her nose was rounded and straight and her mouth was soft and full allowing her pout to get anything she wanted and had.

Waving good day she walked out of the library to the busy street and took a right to walk along the thrum of the crowd. Her phone rang and she answered hooking it to her ear so she could wade through the crowd with both her hands, "Yoshikawa Hannah," she said.

"Hannah, where are you?" a stern voice yelled over the speaker making Hannah wince as she picked up her pace and began to walk/jog to the subway.

"Just nearly there, I am trapped in the subway," she lied hoping her boss couldn't hear the announcements over the phone. "Outbound train leaving in twenty seconds," a mechanical voice spoke over speakers placed around the platform.

"Just get here as fast as you can. Zero will only be here for an half and] hour and if you want your time to ask your questions you should have been here ten minutes ago," the voice said before hanging up.

"Yeah I know," Hannah mumbled to no one as she squeezed into the train door just as it closed. Breathing a sigh of relief she waded around the compartment looking for a seat but couldn't find anything. Sighing she stood holding onto a pole watching the scenery pass by.

She was facing the outside of the settlement into the old ghettos. ten years before it had been jumbled ruins with few habitable buildings, there her father's people had lived and died at Britannian hands for years after the fall of Japan. Today it was being rebuilt as people from all over Japan came back to the city. Although a large part of the settlement had been destroyed when F.L.E.I.J.H. had been detonated, it still was a central city in Japan. Her own home was in one of the older buildings that had survived, not because she couldn't afford to live in the settlement but because she wanted to be closer to her father's living family while she could.

She still remembered the chaos that was here years before, she had been nine and her family lived in Paris at the time. AS scary as the world was back then to a little girl of nine there were some things that held her interest; Britannia had always held her interest as her grandmother had been Britannian while her grandfather had been French. Her own father had escaped the fall of Japan by being in France and marrying her mother a few years before hand. She was the only one to have had the courage to return to Japan and only because she wished to meet her father's family and she had earned an internship at the JPN at the age of fifteen and finished high school in the settlement before becoming a full reporter with JPN at seventeen.

As she contemplated her home she caught something out of the corner of her eye, a face that although older looked a great deal of a lot like someone else she knew of but couldn't be alive. As she turned to get a better look he stepped back, walked along the car through the mass of people, and entered the next car. She began to follow but stopped when she felt a hand on her arm. Glancing over she saw a young woman about sixteen, her red hair was pulled up in double ponytails held up with purple bands. She was pulling on a long black glove that was uncharacteristic for the summer weather they were having. She also wore a black zip up no sleeve hoodie. She had a round face that was hidden by heavy sunglasses. "Sorry," she said taking her hand to her forehead and rubbing her temple as if she had a headache. Before Hannah could turn and continue following the other person the voice called out her station and she jumped as her boss began yelling in her ear again.

"Hannah, you had better be coming up the steps of this building right now," the voice yelled. Hannah had forgotten to pull her phone from her ear and it had been set to auto answer, not a good idea for someone who spaces out and forgets where they are.

"train is just pulling up, be there in seven minutes and forty-six seconds," Hannah said as the train stopped and she jumped out at a run, dodging pedestrians as she ran across the platform and up the steps. She had said four minutes and sixteen seconds because she had timed herself once from when she exited the train to the time she landed on the twelfth floor of the JPN building when she was faced against large amounts of people and when she missed the elevator.

She dodged across the street to a building that was designed around the trees that grew up beneath it and allowed maximum light to play off its surface. She entered the front doors and through the security check swiping her card and racing to the elevators. Someone saw her running and stuck out their hand as she skidded in and the doors closed behind her a second later.

"Yoshikawa-san, what's the rush?" a male voice asked. Hannah looked up and saw that it was her friend Tanaka Ushio, he wore a grin and his eyes shone as he looked at her heave oxygen into her lungs after her dash.

"You know, told to jump, you jump," she heaved as her breathing return to normal.

"Yeah, Milly-senpai can be quite scary at times," he said.

"Don't I know it," Hannah said as she straightened and turned as the door opened and before her a Britannian woman with honey blond hair stood tapping her foot. Her eyes looked at Hannah like she was ready to scold her.

"Hannah Yoshikawa, do you know how much time you have left to get ready?" Milly Ashford stood bearing down on the nineteen year old.

"Just enough time to straighten up and prep the interview room?" Hannah asked.

"Barely. Do you know how many strings I had to pull to even get you a personal interview with Zero; plus A few others are cracking to be let in on the interview to ask some questions of their own and they aren't even delving into the past, they want to know about present matters," Milly said as she speed walked with Hannah down the hall to a bathroom. There Hannah went to a locker and began to change her blouse and shoes. She applied a thin layer of makeup and brushed her hair pulling it up into a graceful half pony.

"OK, I will head to the interview room then?" she asked.

"Actually, Zero is in my office. He specifically asked to be out of the way. So let me go let him know that you are on your way," Milly said and walked out. Hannah was confused but shrugged, gathered her notes, her recorder and walked out.

She walked across the floor towards Milly's office and stopped by the door. Taking a deep breath she took hold of the door handle and opened the door soundlessly. She stopped short as she heard Milly speak.

"Are you sure you want to do this. Hannah has been investigating the events from back then," Milly said trying to persuade the person she was speaking to.

"It's fine; I have come to terms with what happened and what my other self did; whether or not it was meant to happen," the voice was young and different from the voice Hannah knew as Zero's, plus it was familiar with Milly. Did MIlly know Zero?

"You know I watch out for everyone, even those who are still no longer here," Milly said with sad thoughtfulness.

"Are you referring to Shirley and Lelouch?" the young man's voice asked with hurt.

"Them too," Milly said as if she had been referring to others but both knew what she meant.

Hannah suddenly conscious of walking in on a conversation that wasn't meant for her ears closed the door quietly, knocked and thrust open the door in an exasperated manner, "Sorry to keep you waiting. My name is Yoshikawa Hannah. Thank you for agreeing to interview with me today." She bowed as she entered and saw Zero pulling his hand from his face as if he had just put on his mask.

"Well, since the reporter is here I will take my leave. Don't let her intimidate you Zero, Hannah enjoy!" Milly said as she passed Hannah and swept out the door closing it behind her and Hannah could hear the door being locked from the outside.

"Hunh?" Hannah asked as Milly left before turning to face Zero who was seated at a coffee table across from a couch that Hannah took a seat at. He wore his customary black suit and his mask covered his head, he seemed to be athletic and fit versus his old pictures from when he was just starting out and Hannah thought that he looked taller in real life than on TV.

"So I have you for a whole half hour?" Hannah asked as she laid out her notes and turned on her tape recorder.

"Yes, what did you want to ask me?" Zero asked placing his hand under his chin as he relaxed in the chair.

"Ah yes. Unlike others I am investigative reporter and for the past month I have been collecting data to write a historical account of the event ten twelve years ago; from your first appearance to the death of the 'Tyrant Lelouch.' I will not ask question about your identity but of your point of view and thoughts on things.

"Oh, All of that was many years ago but I will answer to the best of my ability," he answered and Hannah had the impression that he was uneasy.

"Ok, here it goes. When you first appeared at the parade of the previous Knights of Rounds Suzaku Kururugi was being taken to his trial when you came to liberate him. Were you sure that your plan would succeed and that Jeremiah Gottwold would not attack first?"

Zero paused a moment as if reflecting his thoughts back to a time he couldn't remember before he spoke hesitantly, "I had a dummy with me. Several days before a terrorist cell had stolen a weaponized gas from Prince Clovis. I had knowledge of the weapon and used it as a bluff against him to secure the release of Kururugi. I had bribed a few of the lower soldiers to make sure that our escape route was secure and we escaped in the ensuing chaos."

"There were reports the Jeremiah Gottwold was working for you then is that true?" Hannah asked.

"Jeremiah was a simple soldier believing in grandeur didn't understand the meaning of a trump cart and when he believed that the citizens were in danger and stopped his troops from hindering our escape. It was a miracle that occurred and thankful it happened." Zero said.

"A miracle? So you believe in miracles and not that you make your own miracles?" Hannah asked on impulse.

"Miracles happen whether or not you plan them, the ones you create are advantageous to you while the natural ones are a surprise and inspire you," Zero said with indifference.

"So rumor has it that the terrorist cell that stole the poison gas originally actually was the grounds for the Black Knights?" Hannah asked.

"The Black knights were originally a group looking for justice and freedom that was the platform for the creation of my army. It just needed guidance from someone who knew where to direct the pieces and not let them roam freely creating bias," Zero said as if he didn't a free with his statement but Hannah wasn't going to question it. Zero was full of contradictions, almost as if he had been two different men.

"So your relationship with Princess Euphemia li Britannia was a good one?" Hannah asked catching Zero off guard.

"Princess Euphemia showed herself as a friend to all people, Japanese and Britannian's alike," Zero said Hannah caught an edge of anger.

"Are you mad that Princess Euphemia tricked all those Japanese into coming to a bloodbath?" Hannah asked watching Zero catching his hands clenching in fists and shaking slightly as if in rage.

"Euphemia did not trick them," Zero seethed. He refers to her without title meaning he knew her well, Hannah thought.

"So did you do something to Princess Euphemia?" Hannah asked keeping her voice level watching Zero closely.

"That's enough on the subject?" Zero said and attempted to get up.

"So you did do something to her when the two of you stepped off the stage together. So something happened to act the way she did and before it could be reversed she was killed by you," Hannah accused.

"I never killed her," Zero spoke darkly as he walked from the office to the dressing room.

"But you did something," Hannah followed remembering to put her recorder in her pocket.

"I loved Euphy and would never have harmed her. It was all Le…" he stopped realizing he had said too much.

"It was all who. Who really killed Euphemia? You? Another Zero? Lelouch?" she said asking throwing the first names out she could find. Zero paused when she said Lelouch's name but after a moment kept moving leaving Hannah in the dressing room as he entered the deserted corridor and left the building.

Hannah stood stunned at Zero's reaction; it was almost as if he was a different person than the Zero who originally appeared. She may have lost her interview but she had gained a clue and she was starting to confirm her suspicions about Zero.

"So you are the new Zero? Where is the original then?" Hannah spoke to herself. Turning back she sat on the couch a moment thinking of what just happened before she fathered her things and walked out. Only to be ambushed by Milly on her way out the door.

"So he walked out of you mid interview? What did you ask?" Milly asked her face unhappy.

"I only got up to Euphemia," Hannah replied and Milly sighed as if she knew that is was what would have happened. She entered her office and closed the door leaving Hannah confused. The door opened again and Milly poked her head out.

"Oh Hannah, a kid was in here a few minutes ago looking for you. She said she would wait for you downstairs at the coffee bar," Milly closed the door again and Hannah was even more confused.

Going to her desk she repacked her bag and went to the elevator and rode it to the ground floor and went to the front lobby and entered the coffee bar that was leased out of the building. Since it was mid afternoon there were only a few people there, mostly her coworkers but a business group took a table in the corner. Only one person was sitting by themselves and she had her back to the door sipping something.

From behind the girls hoodie had a bird symbol on it and that is what caught her attention. Hannah strode purposefully to an empty chair beside the girl and sat. The barista recognized her and made her a caramel macchiato.

"Your right, Zero did something to 'bloodstained' Euphemia that day," her voice was low and as she put down her cup her hand brushed Hannah's.

"What did Zero do?" Hannah asked confused on how this girl of sixteen could know of her thoughts.

"Zero used Geass on her; forced her to kill all those Japanese and then used the opportunity to start the Black Rebellion. Also the current Zero and the Zero then are two different people, the previous Zero was killed by the current one. Oww, you have too many questions running around your head," the girl complained after she told Hannah everything in a low even voice. The girl began to pull her gloves back on and slid off her seat.

"Wait who are you? What's Geass? How can you say those things like you know my mind?" Hannah asked in a flurry of questions turning in her chair watching the girl go. The girl paused, turned, and gazed over the tops of her sunglasses showing her eyes; they were green with purple flying birds, the same as on her back, the same as her notes, the same she had seen in connection with Lelouch, Zero, and several others ten years ago.

"Call me Aaron, oh, and I am not a woman," Aaron said flipping back up his glasses and walking out.

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**Hannah: Who is Zero? **

**Rei: I know, the readers most likely know. Aaron knows.**

**Hannah: Who is Aaron?**

**Rei: a cross dressing boy with freaky eyes.**

**Hannah: what was up with his eyes?**

**Rei: Geass**

**Hannah: What is Geass?**

**Rei: This is going to be a long night… Please let me know what you think.  
**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own in any part Code Geass or any of it's character.**

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_It is the year 2028 it has been ten years since Britannia's tyrant 99__th__ emperor Lelouch died at Zero's hands. The progress of the world has gone from one of grudging hate between peoples of different nationalities, races, and religions to one that has new found respect between people with great differences and works around them. This great age is led by Britannia's Empress Nunnally "The Innocent", Zero, the leader of the Black Knights, Prince Schneizle of Britannia, and Empress Tianzi of the Chinese Federation among others._

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"Call me Aaron, oh, and I am not a woman," Aaron said flipping back up his glasses and walking out.

Hannah was confused and jumped up to chase after him or her. She was confused because the person she though had been a girl was actually a boy.

"Wait!" she called as she reached for Aaron and got his hand. "What are you talking about? You have to give me more than that," she said as Aaron looked at her with an annoyed look.

"Geass, the power of Kings. It is given to a person by the Code bearer, there are always several who have the Code but generally they stay out of the world's way. Geass caused a large part of the world changing, and you could say it would have been exceedingly difficult to produce the same results without the power, even though the power caused some problems too. Oh, your questions about Zero to find him look for the green haired witch, C.C. was her name, I think," he shook off her hand with such force it caused her to take a step back which allowed him to make a dodge for the door. She regained her footing, trotted after him but he walked from the building into the crowd entering the subway and disappeared among the throng. She stood there confused until she was bumped and forced to move.

Turning she headed back inside and went back upstairs to her desk. Pulling out her computer she pulled up a search engine and typed in Geass. She had several thousand hits so she opened the first one and found a band with one of the band members name as Geass. Thinking this wasn't what she was looking for she backed out and began scanning the results for other hits.

After a few pages she tried different parameters, the Power of Kings, she had similar results so she tried again. Knowing that she would get useless information she put in C.C. and wasn't surprised to find initials and names. She sat there working until she felt someone's hand on her shoulder; she jumped and let out a quiet screech.

"Yoshikawa-san, are you going to work all night?" Tanaka smiled at her warmly in his goofy way.

"Tanaka-sempai! What time is it?" she asked looking to a clock her heart unsettled, as she did her stomach grumbled and she noticed she hadn't eaten all day.

"I guess that means I can take you out for dinner, my treat," he grinned and she smiled back closing her computer and putting it in her bag.

"Only if I get to choose," she said laughing.

"Not that French restaurant again," he stuck out his tongue in disgust causing Hannah to laugh some more as she stood and they began to walk from the building. Hannah had forgotten all her question and was enjoying in being in the moment. She didn't know that she was being watched.

"Target in site, heading east. Agent green is with her," he reported into a phone and received some order but just as he was about to follow the two he felt a something hard hit his head and passed out. Aaron pulled him into the shadows and pulled off his glove to touch the man's face.

Aaron winced in pain when he withdrew his hand from the man's face and pulled on the glove again. Then reaching into a bag he fumbled with a bottle of Excedrin for Migraines, swallowing a pill dry. Aaron watched as the two walked down the street laughing before he stood and went into the subway.

* * *

"Zero, that reporter, Hannah Yoshikawa, has been investigating the events from your first debut to Lelouch's assassination. She has deduced that you as Zero have caused some of the opportunities that you then later exploited. At the moment she isn't a threat but could change if she ever gained hard evidence against you," Prince Schneizle commented on a report at a table filled with advisors. Zero sat at the head with a stack of reports before him and he was reading along with Schneizle.

"Keep her monitored; I fear I might have given her something to look into if she looks in the right places. How are the meetings with the African states going?" Zero asked putting down the file and picking up another.

"Egypt and Tunisia just signed a cultural accord relations between those two states have come to an ease. Algeria has signed a pact disclosing the equality of life to all peole in return for health services and standard food from the UFN.

The state of Somalia is warring within itself as the tribes there try to exterminate themselves. The President of Somalia has petitioned that the Black Knights be dispatched to quell the fighting. The UFN is still in debate on the subject and the chairman has asked that we go on standby there," Schneizle went into the report as Zero and the rest of the advisors listened. Among them was Lloyd, Xing-ke as a representative of Tianzi, Toudou, and several others. There was a debate with the handling of the matter before Schneizle put forth a measure which Toudou seconded and Zero agreed with.

With that the meeting adjourned and Zero went out his customary exit and walked to his own private quarters. After passing security measures and double doors he entered a spacious suite with a view out over the ocean. On the walls hung pictures of people, Lelouch standing next to Suzaku, Shirley and Lelouch from Milly's graduation, the group before the Black Rebellion. The memories that burned but gave peace.

He removed his mask, placed it on the table and went to the window and watched as the water passed below them several hundred feet down. Suzaku Kururugi pulled the black cloth mask down and sighed before wincing in pain. He looked down and saw his black kitten Guinevere chewing on his leg. "Ouch, that must hurt," a voice came into the room as he pulled this little bundle of fur out of his heel.

"It does," Suzaku said as he cradled the kitten and she played with his hand.

"I remember Arthur would always bite you whenever you did something he didn't like," the voice said as Suzaku walked to a wall monitor and smiled as he saw Nunnally.

"How are you today your highness?" Suzaku asked sitting at the chair placed for convenience of a long conversation.

"Quite well, thank you. Cornelia and Guilford just left with little Euphy and Clovis. It was nice to see them looking so happy, what of you Suzaku? Are you staying well?" She asked.

"Well enough, the Avalon Omega is heading to Africa to separate some warring tribes," Suzaku said getting comfortable.

"Although my brother set it up for all hate to land on him there are still people who fight one another," Nunnally said with a sigh.

"Lelouch only had things on the large scale and left the small details to us. But then you can only do so much sometimes," Suzaku laughed lightly.

"My brother was cruel to you, for having you kill him and leaving the world in your care. And didn't C.C. disappear right after that, taking his body with her," Nunnally said sadly.

"In a way it was a good thing we don't have to worry about his place of rest being disturbed by the masses. In the end he did everything for you and created a better future for everyone," Suzaku said.

"Do you still cry sometimes?" Nunnally asked.

Suzaku shrugged, "on occasion. I talked to Milly today and she inquired about you."

"How was she?" Nunnally asked relief spreading across her face.

"Same old Milly, wanting to be in everyone's business," Suzaku said and a beep sounded, "oh speak of the devil. Hold on a minute Milly is on the other line," Suzaku said as he switched screens.

"Sorry about today. I hope Hannah didn't upset you much," Milly said quietly.

"What are you talking about? I admit I was surprised and she caught me off guard but after spending some time to myself I figured that she was doing what came naturally to her. Actually it makes me glad to think that someone questions whether or not Euphy killed with her own will. I hope that one day Euphemia's name would be cleared," Suzaku said and groaned because Guinevere bit his finger.

"Well same as always right ?" Milly said.

"Absolutely," Suzaku replied and scratched the kitten's ears.

"Well I will place my magic spell on you! BE HAPPY!" Milly decreed and Suzaku laughed.

"Thank you." Suzaku said with a smile as he switched off the screen and turned Nunnally back on.

"So what were we talking about?" Suzaku asked her and they began talking again.

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Aaron climbed a set of stairs to a landing and opened the door. He opened the door and entered a hallway, walking halfway down he reached a door and knocked.

"Who could that be?" a voice asked on the other side. "Hello!" the door opened and a woman with pink hair poked out. Around her neck on a lanyard was a red drive key, "Who are you?" she asked.

"Kouzaki Kallen?" Aaron asked lifting his glasses and reveling his eyes.

"Geass? Who are you?" Kallen asked grabbing a knife and pushing Aaron against the wall by the throat. Her hand on his forehead to keep the knife below his chin.

"So you don't know anything more about C.C., by the way you shouldn't have your password as simple as that; anyone with a brain can figure it out," Aaron said flatly.

"You can read my mind," Kallen said and stepped back letting go of the boy.

"In a way. I like what you cooked tonight," Aaron turned and entered Kallen's open door causing her to pause and stare in confusion.

"What?" her neighbor opened his door and asked what was going on. She apologized for making a ruckus and entered her apartment closing the door, she locked it, went into the kitchen and found Aaron sitting at the table with leftovers and a remote in his hand flipping through the channels on the tv.

"I am not a threat so you can put down your knife. My Geass is touch oriented unlike Lelouch's who had to look you in the eye with a verbal command. This is good," he said as he brought his chopsticks to his mouth savoring the flavor and eating slowly like he hadn't eaten in a while.

"Who are you? I won't ask again," Kallen asked glaring at the boy.

"Oh, I am Aaron, I have the Geass of Absolute Knowledge," Aaron told her as he continued to eat.

"You mentioned C.C. why are you looking for that witch?" Kallen asked.

"My business. Sit down and put that silly knife away, in a fight I could very well win becuse I know your weaknesses," Aaron said not breaking his gaze from the TV that was playing a documentary on the Second Pacific War.

"So how many other geass users are there?" Kallen asked after a moments decision as she sat behind Aaron watching him.

"Only a few and you know them, besides me anyways," Aaron said through a mouthful.

"Did C.C. give you your Geass?" Kallen asked drumming her fingers on the table.

"No," Aaron answered with a quick reply his chopsticks clicking closing the discussion before it could start.

"Why are you eating my food and watching my TV?" she asked finally her temper beginning to break.

"I am waiting," he said hopping off the stool and going into her fridge grabbing a can of juice.

"That's my juice," Kallen complained pulling it from his hand before he could take a sip.

"Technically it's the juice of thirty different fruits mixed with sugar, water, among a few other things. Carbonated and packaged in an aluminum can which you paid money that you earned by teaching young kids who will go and learn how to make that same drink. Can you really say it's yours when it is all in a series of events and you will throw out the discarded can which will be recycled to you can pay money for it over again anyways," Aaron spoke quickly which confused Kallen, allowed him to take the drink back and drink before she could say another word.

"Besides, if you really want me to pay you back I can tell you the answer to a question you have always asked yourself and doubted," he said and Kallen snapped back glaring at him.

"Oh yeah which question was that?" she asked.

"Did I really love Zero and therefore Lelouch or was it all because of Geass?" Aaron replied there was a pause before Kallen spoke.

"Right like you could tell me that. Urgh why am I being pulled around by this girl?" she complained as she walked back to her table and sat crossing her legs and sat brooding.

"Because I know exactly when and what kind of things Lelouch put on you. Two, I am not a girl," Aaron said with a sigh.

* * *

**Aaron: why do people keep thinking I am a girl?**

**Rei: um, look at your outfit.**

**Aaron: why did you dress me like this.**

**Rei: there is a reason, I swear… (he is so cute. I should try the frilly dress on him)**

**Aaron: *touches the authors hand and dies of shock and embarrassement***

**Rei: Aaron? *poke**poke* It's not THAT bad.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own in any part Code Geass or it's characters.**

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_It is the year 2028 it has been ten years since Britannia's tyrant 99th__ emperor Lelouch died at Zero's hands. The progress of the world has gone from one of grudging hate between peoples of different nationalities, races, and religions to one that has new found respect between people with great differences and works around them. This great age is led by Britannia's Empress Nunnally "The Innocent", Zero, the leader of the Black Knights, Prince Schneizle of Britannia, and Empress Tianzi of the Chinese Federation among others._

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"What you're a guy?" Kallen stood quickly knocking over her chair.

"And I would think you would have noticed my Adam's apple, you were close to my face. Do you want me to tell you what Lelouch put on you?" Aaron asked her licking his chopsticks clean and looking at the empty bowl with a sad look.

Kallen stood hesitant her face dropping into confusion as she thought, "Lelouch cared for me I know that in the end but did he ever cast Geass on me? Should I ask, no that would dishonor his memory by asking," Kallen sat and spoke, "No. I have come to terms with the past and trust that my feelings for Lelouch were genuine."

"Good, besides Lelouch only asked you to answer his questions when he used Geass on you. This was right after Shinjuku and he helped you and your people out of a tight spot, your most notable marker was a bee and being worried that he had seen you kill it," Aaron said as he turned to her, hopped off the stool and went into her living room.

"Where are you going?" she asked following him to her closet and watched him pull out a blanket. She stared in awe of his audacity as he turned her couch into a makeshift bed, pulled off his gloves, hoodie and shirt showing her that he was indeed male. He pulled out the hair bobbles allowing his long hair to fall about him. He then curled up on her couch and closed his eyes.

"It's been a long day for the both of us, besides don't you have testing tomorrow?" he asked as she stared at him.

"Why I ought to," she said as she went to kick him out; but stopped when she realized he had passed out in seconds. Stopping she gave in to the child and went to the kitchen. She looked at his dishes and thought, "At least he could have cleaned up his dishes and thrown away his can." She washed the Tupperware and left it to dry by the sink and threw away the empty can, holding it for a second before dropping it in the bin.

"Jeez, that kid can get under your skin," she exclaimed throwing it violently away before stalking to her room and getting ready for the night. She crawled into bed and after tossing for a few minutes she fell asleep.

Aaron knew when she had finally slept and he pulled his clothes back on pulled his hair back into a low pony that actually made him look more like a boy than a girl. He located her identification cards, keys and key drive and left the apartment without waking Kallen.

"Sorry I need to borrow these in order to find it. Find the Missing Code," Aaron apologized as he left the complex stopping briefly at the security station to reconnect wires that were detached from each other.

* * *

Hannah had Ushio leave her at the station as she headed home and as she waited to the train to arrive at her station she thought.

"The current Zero is defiantly not the same Zero that originally appeared. The original Zero had something called Geass, given to him by C.C. Two Zero's at least the first with C.C., whoever that is, wait green hair. She pulled out a pad of notes with Tamaki written at the top. She scanned it and found what she was looking for.

"Zero was my best bud but he did have his harem of girls. Not that I think he ever did anything with him, they were more like advisors except one. C.C. was her name, more me memorable was that she wasn't Japanese and she even stood out because she had green hair," he had said as she remembered the interview. She hadn't paid much attention because she didn't want Zero's love life but what if she hadn't been a mistress but his accomplice, the only one who knew his true identity. She glanced at her watch 8:30, might be a little late but she could still make it.

She jumped off the train at the next station and changed lines. In ten minutes she was in another part of the settlement looking for an address, she found it and entered the building taking the elevator to the fifteenth floor. She walked down the hall and knocked on the door, no answer. She knocked again and she heard mumbling from inside and the door opened as a sleepy Kallen Kouzuki opened it and stared at her.

"Yes?" she asked her hair disarrayed and she tightened her robe about her.

"I am Hannah Yoshikawa, sorry for waking you but I have a few questions I need to ask you," she said politely.

"Can't it wait till tomorrow? Besides I have had enough people knocking on my door this evening," she said and began to close it.

"I am looking for information on the Zero that originally appeared in the public, the Zero with C.C., the Zero with Geass," Hannah said sure that Kallen would slam the door in her face which she did as soon as she heard Zero, but Kallen opened up her door again when Hannah said Geass.

"What do you know of Geass?" Kallen asked she was awake now and looked at the woman before her with wary eyes.

"That the original Zero had it and that he received it from C.C., among other things. Please may we talk inside?" Hannah asked with a smile and Kallen allowed her to come in.

"Go to the kitchen, there is a kid sleeping on my couch," Kallen told her and Hannah waited for Kallen to lead her there through the dark blinking as she turned on the overhead light and closed the kitchen door.

"Coffee?" she asked as she turned on the kettle to boil water.

"If you are having some I don't mind a cup," Hannah said as she sat pulling out her latest notepad.

"What is Geass?" she asked as Kallen made the coffee.

"It is a power to manipulate human will, in Zero's case he could make you into his slave and do whatever he wished of you to do, even if that wasn't your true wish," Kallen said bitterly.

"So he controlled the Black Knights with this power?" Hannah asked.

"No, but he could easily have done so if he had wished it. If he asked it of you, you would do it," Kallen said with resignation.

"Is that what Geass is?" Hannah asked.

"It depends on the person, There was one kid with the Geass to Slow the perception of time, another that could cancel Geass, oh and Aaron who said he had the Geass of Absolute Knowledge," Kallen stood thinking. The kettle went off and she poured two cups, "milk? Sugar?" she asked.

"Sugar, please," Hannah said as she thought out her next question.

"What happened to the Zero with the Geass?" Hannah asked.

"He died," Kallen said in a tone that said that there was any more to be said.

"Who is Aaron?" Hannah asked curiously.

"Some kid who knocked on my door and began to eat my food and is sleeping on my couch," Kallen said without enthusiasm.

"Does he look like a girl, has red hair, glasses and wears gloves in this weather?" Hannah asked. Kallen choked on her coffee as Hannah described the boy.

"That describes him," Kallen said, "Why?"

"He is the one who told me about Geass and of C.C.," Hannah said.

"Something isn't right here," Kallen said rolling up her sleeves she opened the kitchen door and stalked into the living room flipping the switch hoping to awaken the kid with the lights. "How the? THAT KID!" Kallen yelled as she saw the empty couch, "The least he could do was fold up the blankets and put them away!" she fumed as she pulled the blankets to the floor, Hannah sat watching not commenting on the fact that Kallen's robe had fallen open.

"Did he disappear on you?" Hannah asked as Kallen fell silent.

"What is your relationship with the kid?" Kallen asked whirling unaware of how exposed she was.

"I only met him this afternoon," Hannah said before adding keeping her eyes averted, "um, your robe is open." Kallen looked down and quickly retied her robe with a flush across her cheeks.

"Ten years of quiet and now I have one thing trying to mess up my life," Kallen said as she went to her phone and typed in a number. "Kallen Kouzuki, um, can you wait in the kitchen, this is classified," Kallen said and Hannah went to the kitchen closing the door but she put her ear to the door.

"I need to talk to Zero," Hannah heard her say through the door.

"We have a problem," Kallen said then she listened to the other end. "There is a kid with Geass walking around, I had hoped the sleeping pill I gave him would have taken affect but it seems not to have. I should have contacted you as soon as he showed up, it was negligence on my part," she paused listening, "I understand. Yes, there is a reporter here by the name Hannah Yoshikawa." She stopped and her voice dimmed as if she went to another room, Hannah grabbed her things and quietly left the apartment but not before she heard Kallen speak again, "I will keep her here until you get here Suzaku," Hannah didn't hear another word as she closed the door quietly and fled the apartment.

"I will detain her, as you order," Kallen said as she turned off her phone her face stern and she went back to the kitchen, "Sorry I had to inform my superiors about Aar…" she stopped as she noticed the kitchen was empty and she looked pissed.

* * *

"Prince Schneizle," Kanon approached Schneizle as he sat in his office going through a file.

"Yes," he asked as he closed what he was reading and devoting his attention to Kanon.

"The team following Hannah Yoshikawa just reported in. They lost her, they think someone helped her because all agents were taken out and just came to a little while ago. Agent Green dropped her off in the subway and of yet has to resurface on the grid," Kanon reported in a clipped manner.

"Devote two more teams to finding her whereabouts. Inform me as soon as you can," he ordered with a sigh.

"Yes, my Lord," Kanon saluted, walked out and Lloyd walked in.

"Still burning the midnight oil I see," Lloyd said with his usual manner.

"Do you ever sleep yourself?" Schneizle commented.

"Touché. Did you notice anything off about Zero during the meeting?" Lloyd asked.

"I noticed something but I put it off to stress, there have been quite a few things going on between countries," Schneizle said picking up another file and opening it.

"No, I noticed it when he came in from the interview with the reporter. He was agitated as if something came up that he wasn't expecting. Do you know what it was?" Lloyd asked.

"Zero has yet to disclose with me the contents of the interview, I am working on getting copies of the interviewers tape but she has disappeared," he said.

"That isn't good," he said, "and here I thought it might have been something else. Well anyways, I hate to be the bearer of bad news but all units are ready for the fight," he said as he left the room only to pause and stop.

"WHAT, why are you here, you are supposed to be dead," Lloyd said as he backed up back into the room.

Schneizle stood confused about Lloyd's behavior and saw Kanon lying dead on the floor in a pool of his own blood and then he noticed the figure. The figure advanced and walked into the room causing Schneizle's blood to freeze.

"Lelouch?" Schneizle said.

"Lelouch vi Britannia commands you, Die!" Lelouch ordered and Schneizle felt himself answer, "Yes your highness," he reached into the door and pulled out an antique letter opened and plunged it into his chest. As he fell unable to stop himself he saw Lloyd kill himself by crashing through the window to the sea far below and Lelouch advanced to stand over him.

"Lelouch," Schneizle managed to say once more as he saw his brother smiling evilly over him, with his maniacal laughter. Schneizle could only think, alive, my brother is alive.

"Lelouch!" Schneizle cried as he snapped his head up and saw Kanon standing over him shaking him slightly.

"Did you have a bad dream," Kanon asked with concern.

"A dream?" Schneizle sat up and back in his chair rubbing his temple, "It was just a dream," he said letting everything settle in his mind. Lelouch was dead and the Zero Requiem was complete, the Geass had been undone so he was no longer controlled, but he still supported Zero and everyone.

"That's rare to find you sleeping on your desk," Kanon laughed as he straightened the papers Schneizle had fallen asleep on.

"What time is it?" Schneizle asked as he looked about.

"For you midnight, but our current time zone has it at seven in the evening," Kanon said putting the files in a neat stack.

"I should head to my quarters then," Schneizle said attempting to get up but Kanon spoke first, "Hannah Yoshikawa has been found. Kallen Kouzuki reported to be in her apartment and then she was lost again and under more investigation Kouzuki also reported her id and key drive to the Guren missing. In addition she reported a kid with Geass being in her home, she reported that his Geass was touch oriented and allowed him to see into her mind. No more information can be discerned about him," Kanon reported. Schneizle blinked not sure what to make of this, has Suz… I mean Zero been informed?" Schneizle asked.

"He was the one Kallen reported to first. Also the alarm at the Tokyo settlement research facility was set off by an unknown person. The person in question has managed to keep themselves unseen and has consequently stolen the Kouzauki's Guren that was about to be tested tomorrow. It has been surmised to be Hannah Yoshikawa or this Aaron boy," Kanon said.

"What do we have on him?" Schneizle asked.

"Not much only a description from Kouzuki, all cameras seem to miss him. How we don't know," Kanon said handing a thin folder to Schneizle who opened then closed it quickly.

"Do we know his objective?" Schneizle asked standing and walking out with Kanon on his heels.

"C.C., that's all we know," Kanon said noticing that they were headed for Zero's chambers.

Schneizle walked down the cooridor, his weariness disappearing with every step. "Here I thought all the interesting stuff had ended ten years ago," Schneizle thought as he went through the security measures on Zero's room about to embark on a new challenge.

* * *

**Rei: Ok, I didn't explain Aaron's outfit yet but, isn't it cute, *Shows a picture of Aaron in a frilly blue dress, his hair in curls with a bonnet***

**Aaron: The horror, put it away. The readers don't want to see it.**

**Hannah: I think it actually becomes you. **

**Aaron: *blushes* thanks**

**Rei: I wonder which of the two of you is the bigger eavesdropper.**

**Hannah: Eavesdropping! Me! Banish the Thought.**

**Aaron: yeah right, my only excuse is that I can't control it… *touches random reader* You should have that looked at.**

**Rei: Aaron! Thanks for reading guys.**


	4. Chapter 4

_**Disclaimer: I do not own in any part Code Geass or it's characters.

* * *

**_

_It is the year 2028 it has been ten years since Britannia's tyrant 99th__ emperor Lelouch died at Zero's hands. The progress of the world has gone from one of grudging hate between peoples of different nationalities, races, and religions to one that has new found respect between people with great differences and works around them. This great age is led by Britannia's Empress Nunnally "The Innocent", Zero, the leader of the Black Knights, Prince Schneizle of Britannia, and Empress Tianzi of the Chinese Federation among others.

* * *

_

Aaron was operating the Guren, he was floating over the settlement trying to make sense of the information he had gathered from the people in the lab. Their memories were jumbled together and he fought to keep them from overtaking his sense of identity. He had suppressed everything until he could find a moment of peace to organize it all.

He reached into his pocket and popped another Excedrin into his mouth, shook the bottle and sighed as he found it was empty. He had fast forwarded through childhoods, absorbed any new information presented to him, he wished he could close his eyes to some images as he never wanted to see them but just like the first time he had used his ability he was no longer innocent to anything.

"Got it," he said to himself, hearing his voice over the voices of the memories he had absorbed, pulling Kallen's memories and merging himself with them. With hands that acted with the experience, Aaron set a course with the most minimal energy used and left Japan behind.

As the Guren was set on autopilot Aaron checked the course and saw that he had to stop in India for an energy filler but hopefully he would reach his target in a few hours. He leaned back and fell into a light sleep allowing the memories to fully become a part of his nature. He gained new knowledge on Knightmares and access codes in the Black Knights. As well as new experiences, but with each new identity he lost a small part of himself in the process.

* * *

Hannah sat in the library going through the old records until she found it, a picture of C.C. She had been standing beside Zero after he had been exiled from Japan. She scanned forward to the disappearance of Charles vi Britannia. She suddenly thought of something because when Charles disappeared Zero did but Lelouch appeared. Looking at footage of Lelouch she saw his debut the conflict between himself and the other nobles, Suzaku Kururugi's appearance. The sudden acceptance of Lelouch as emperor. She was about to move to another video when she noticed something, pausing she angled the picture enhanced and brought into focus. There wasn't much but she could see the figure of a girl in the eaves, she had green hair.

Hannah went to the next set of footage and spotted the image again. It was the same for everything else, nothing. She leaned back and went to turn off the screen when the next image popped up, it was a picture of a girl with green hair stood beside a soldier his helmet was off and in the darkness he looked similar to Lelouch. The caption said it was a night photo of an unconfirmed sighting of Lelouch and an unknown woman the night after the assassination of Lelouch the tyrant. She wondered why it hadn't caused much uproar until she saw that it was with a newspaper that garnered not much credit as it dealt with spoof news and UFO's.

Although it didn't have credibility with the actual world it confirmed something, Lelouch and Zero were one in the same and that the Zero now was someone else to replace the original.

"That's it, Lelouch is Zero," she cried standing happy with herself for solving one thing that had never made sense. "Next up, who is Rolo Lamperouge?" she said, with a sigh she turned everything off. She stretched in her chair giving a satisfied sigh, over her was her friend with a cup of coffee.

"Here, I thought you could use a chaser," she said as Hannah accepted it and sat up to take a sip.

"Thanks for letting me in tonight," Hannah thanked her.

"You know me, good ole Marie. Sleep all day to work in the library all night," she laughed as she gazed over Hannah's shoulders at her notes.

"So Zero is actually the emperor Lelouch?" she asked as she read the scribbles.

"To me it is confirmed but I need more hard evidence before I can take anything to the press, besides I don't think my boss will be happy with me afterwards. She went to school with the tyrant before he ascended the throne and she remembers him in a better light than what the rest of the world knows him as," Hannah said putting her cup down and closing her notes.

"Still kinda scary, that kid changed the world in many ways if what you found out is true. So did he really die or is he still Zero?" Marie asked as she pulled up a chair and listened to Hannah.

"From my research, Zero was originally Lelouch. Something happened after the Black Rebellion, it had been declared that Zero had been executed but as we clearly can tell he hadn't. I am still tracking down the information but I believe something bigger was going on under the surface, then a year after the Rebellion Zero showed up again. I believe that both were the same, as the tactics and personality were the same. Though when Zero disappeared and Lelouch reappeared on the grand stage, I think that was the switch out and I don't know who the new Zero is," Hannah said picking up her coffee and taking another sip, she looked at her notes and sighed.

"So, what was the going on?" Marie asked.

"I haven't figured it out, but I have a hint and if it is true then I don't know if I should ever publish my story, it is too frightening to let the world know," Hannah answered. She sighed and got up.

"Where are you going?" Marie asked.

"To the little geisha's room," Hannah said leaving Marie alone. Hannah took ten minutes to wash her face and braid her hair into a braid, when she came back she saw Marie shifting notes around at her table, a quick glance showed her research project for school.

"What's the topic?" Hannah asked.

"The effects of Sakuradite on the Pacific War," she said with a groan as she turned the page.

"Interesting. Is this your thesis or just a project for a class?" she asked picking up a book detailing the composition of Sakuradite, its uses, formation, etc.

"My thesis, interesting isn't it?" she asked as she picked up a pile of notes and photocopied pages and stacked the, at the edge of the table giving herself some clear space.

"My Thesis was on the reign of the 98th emperor of Britannia, I barely managed to pass with it only because I had an exclusive interview with Prince Schneizle and he gave me some fresh information that actually inspired me onto this new path of investigation," Hannah admitted, suddenly yawning.

"Whoa, go away that stuff is contagious and I have too much work to be done around here," Maria laughed and Hannah grinned before turning and getting her things. Once everything was packed and put away she snuck out the back entrance with Marie locking up behind her.

"Take care Hannah, I hope you find your story," Marie called and Hannah waved back as she walked down the side walk clutching her bag tighter to her as she walked through the shadows.

She caught a taxi and went home for the night. She was dropped off in front of her building and she entered, using her key to lock the doors behind her. She climbed to the upper floors to her small Japanese style flat. It had a kitchenette, bathroom, and two rooms.

She put her bag down as she locked up her door and emptied her pockets on the entrance table. She picked her bag up again, walked to her study, pulled everything out and put it on the desk in a specific order.

Once everything was put away she went to the bathroom and showered. Thinking of the revelations of the day, she stood with the water running over her face as she understood the implications of everything that she had learned and would continue learning of until she discovered everything.

With a sigh she turned off the water and wrapped herself in a robe, brushed her teeth and stepped from the bathroom to see a half dozen gun barrel's pointed at her. She instantly shrank back into the wall.

"Hannah Yoshikawa you are under arrest for grand theft," an officer declared and she felt incredibly confused and worried all of a sudden and her tiredness had disappeared.

* * *

The phone was ringing in a corridor by the stairs that went to a second story. The walls were a pale yellow and light from the open door shown in as a man with jeans and a light shirt hurried to the ringing phone. He had green hair and one eye was a prosthetic. Wiping the sweat from his brow he answered.

"Hello?" he asked.

"Jeremiah Gottwold?" a voice asked.

"Who is this?" Jeremiah asked unsure of who is on the other end..

"We have a Geass problem," the voice said. Jeremiah stood shocked for a moment.

"Is C.C. back?" he asked.

"No, it is not C.C. We think this is from another code user or from the old experiments. We cannot be sure, thanks to Lelouch we have no records of that place left," the voice said.

"Do you need me to go in search of this Geass user," Jeremiah asked as he leaned against the wall.

"Yes, a unit will come pick you up within the nest thirty minutes. Is there any special items you need?" the voice asked.

"Prince Schneizle probably has everything I need planned out. Right Kanon," Jeremiah said with a wary smile.

"Yes. You will be further briefed on the Avalon Omega by his highness," Kanon told him.

"I understand," Jeremiah said and hung up the phone and sighed and went to the kitchen where Anya was washing her hands. He kissed her cheek as hereached for the soap to wash his hands to.

"Who was that?" she asked as she tried her hands.

"Seems there is a Geass problem. I have been asked to take care of it," he said as he took the towel from her and dried his hands. She pulled out her phone and took a photo of him laughing as she added a caption. He smiled at her as he hung up the towel.

"Do you need me to come with you?" she asked as she put down her phone and leaned against the counter.

"No, you need to look after the harvest," he said as he left the kitchen and went upstairs to his room. Taking a quick shower he changed into clean clothes coming back downstairs as there was a knock on the door. He answered and found an officer standing at the door.

"Jeremiah Gottwold, officer Young. I am here to deliver you to the Avalon Omega. If all your business is in order please come this way," he said gesturing to the transport vehicle.

"Just a moment, Anya. I am going now, you know how to contact me. Take care," Jeremiah called into the house. He heard a rustle from the kitchen and she rushed down the hall to hug him.

"Do a good job," she said and pushed him out the door thrusting a package into his arms. He looked surprised but smiled as he followed Officer Young to the transport and got in. Sitting the door was closed leaving Jeremiah in the backseat facing a monitor.

It beeped and turned on, Prince Schneizle and Zero sat looking at him.

"Jeremiah Gottwold it has been a long time," Zero said.

"It has been a long time. What is it about a Geass user?" Jeremiah asked.

"We don't know exactly who it is but we know it is a boy about fifteen who goes by Aaron. From Kallen Kouzaki's we have an artist's rendering but we don't know how accurate it is. The user in question has the Geass of Absolute Knowledge, we can assume that with a touch of a person he absorbs their entire life's memories. We don't have any information where he came from but we believe that he has stolen the newest Guren model. We don't know where he is as he disabled the tracker in the unit. We have calculated the range that the energy filler would allow the Guren to travel to," Prince Schneizle told him.

"Do we know this Aaron's objective?" Jeremiah asked as he picked up a tablet and scanned the information looking at the artist rendering of Aaron. "Are we sure this is a boy? It looks like a girl," Jeremiah added before his first question could be answered.

"We believe C.C. is his objective. AS to his gender Kallen confirmed it visually," Zero added.

"If this information is correct he may be looking for the last people who had contact with C.C. before she disappeared after Zero Requiem," Prince Schneizle said and Jeremiah nodded.

"So the next place he will go will probably be the inner circle," Jeremiah concluded.

"I figure he will come to us eventually and by the looks he is good at infiltration, whether that is a part of his Geass or if that is the kind of training he has had. For the meanwhile you will be stationed on the Avalon Omega until we discover another clue on this Geass user," Prince Schneizle said.

"So in twenty-four hours the first Geass user in ten years pops up, anything else?" Jeremiah asked.

"WE believe he came in contact with at least one person before Kallen Kouzaki, the prime suspect for contact we have arrested and are currently questioning her on what she learned from the Geass user," Prince Schneizle added.

"So a Geass user with no iota of the consequences of giving out information," Jeremiah said with a sigh; he looked out the window at the passing scenery thinking of the kid.

* * *

"So a Geass user is looking for me? Is it because I hold the lost code and he wants to take it? Well let's see if he can find me," C.C. said as she sat in a tree looking at the sky. She smiled an amused smile as she leaned back and jumped off the branch.

**

* * *

**

**Rei: Ok, sorry Aaron, you didn't have much of a part this time.**

**Aaron: It's fine at least I don't look like a girl now.**

**Hannah: you so still do.**

**Rei: Easy Aaron, you'll get a make over in the next chapter.**

**Aaron: I better. *Imagines being tall, buff, and handsome***

**Rei: Sorry, not that kind of makeover.**

**Aaron: ah come on…**

**Rei: Well anyways. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, review please. Your comments and thoughts might end up helping the story. *snickers at the plot twists***


	5. Chapter 5

_**Disclaimer: I do not own in any part Code Geass or any of it's Characters.**_

_It is the year 2028 it has been ten years since Britannia's tyrant 99__th__ emperor Lelouch died at Zero's hands. The progress of the world has gone from one of grudging hate between peoples of different nationalities, races, and religions to one that has new found respect between people with great differences and works around them. This great age is led by Britannia's Empress Nunnally "The Innocent", Zero, the leader of the Black Knights, Prince Schneizle of Britannia, and Empress Tianzi of the Chinese Federation among others.

* * *

_

Since she stepped out of her bathroom she had been hustled about by military types till she had gotten lost a dozen times over. She wished they would have let her sleep as she leaned over the table in the interrogation room her head in her arms her eyes closed but the light kept her awake. The door opened and she heard footsteps across the floor. The chair at the other side of the table moved, grating across the floor. Someone sat down and pulled into the table and began to rustle through papers. Hannah didn't look up.

"Are you that tired?" a familiar voice asked.

"I haven't slept in thirty-six hours, what do you think?" Hannah replied miserably her head buried in her arms too tired to figure out who it was.

"Well let's get these questions over with and I will see if I can find you a comfortable bed, Yoshikawa-san," at that Hannah peeked up at the person and saw it was Ushio wearing a Black Knights uniform. She laughed a little as she sat up putting it together.

"I guess you were tailing me right?" she asked as she leaned back with her arms crossed.

"Sorry for the pretense. I was originally meant to monitor Milly Ashford but my assignment changed when you began to dig up things on Zero. I am impressed at a few of these deductions but I can assure you, Zero has and always be the same person," Ushio said as he read the papers which Hannah finally recognized as copies of her notebooks.

"Why do you have my notes?" she asked sounding angrier than she intended.

"You have a great deal of questions for answers that cannot be known by the public. Especially is social order Is to be maintained around the world. What did that kid, Aaron tell you?" Ushio asked glancing up shocking Hannah.

"Aaron? I just met him this, I mean yesterday afternoon. He called me and was going on about something called Geass and C.C. From my digging I have found that there is a correlation between Zero, Geass, C.C., and the Tyrant. Or am I digging into something that should not be public knowledge?" Hannah said forgetting her exhaustion to play banter with a guy might have like at one point but certainly didn't care much for anymore.

In response he pulled out a cell hit a digit which sped dialed a number he waited a moment, "She knows about Geass," was all he said. He waited several moments and hung up the phone, gathered her documents and walked out. Two guards.

"What the hell? Why are you treating me like this? I haven't done anything wrong!" she screamed as they put her in the cell and closed the glass door and left her by herself as she slammed her fist into the glass screaming about the injustice.

Unknown to her Ushio was taking one last look at her files before dropping them in an incinerator and destroying all filed on her personal computer. All the work she had pulled from a year of research was lost.

* * *

"Unidentified Knightmare remain where you are until we have confirmed your identity and the escort will lead you in," a voice ordered over the audio of the Guren jarring Aaron awake. The first things that came to mind were of being attacked and he unconsciously grabbed the controls for defense. AS he understood the situation the corresponding memories and personalities popped up and he stood down.

"This is Knightmare Guren Trinity. Pilot Kallen Kouzuki, identification code YT56R9. I request refueling and amenities, I am on a priority Zero mission code YT76. My stay will last no more than an hour," Aaron said without hesitating. He waited a moment as the control tower ran the codes waiting for them to decipher them and then let him land. It took them five minutes but soon he was escorted to the landing pad and ushered inside a bay where he dismounted.

He brought stares from the officers who led him to some quarters and he asked for a simple meal. Making sure he wouldn't be interrupted, he went to the bathroom and locked the door. He turned on the shower and dug through his bag which the clearance had allowed him to carry with him without it being investigated.

He withdrew a bottle of dark liquid, a box of contacts and solution. He pulled at his eye and pulled away a contact which showed that his green eyes were from colored lenses which didn't block the bird sigil but distorted the color. Taking the bottle with him he jumped into the shower and ten minutes later emerged with soaking black hair.

He dried it then braided it down his back, he put in fresh contacts, and this time his eyes were green with no sign of the bird sigil. He dressed in a fresh uniform that had been provided for him at his request and repacked his bag. Lastly he pulled on his gloves and exited the bathroom to see the officer laying out a meal for him, the man was startled to see the transformation.

"Do I look so different?' he asked as he sat and began to eat quickly but daintily.

"Yes," he officer replied.

"Is my Knightmare refueled?" Aaron asked.

"Refueled and ready to launch. AS soon as you're ready I will escort you to your Knightmare and the tower will give you clearance to launch," the officer responded, "I will be waiting outside for when you are finished." The officer left Aaron to eat in silence.

Aaron glanced around and saw that he was being watched but he didn't mind, he just need a computer terminal and he could erase everything in minutes. He finished and stepped to the computer access that was standard in every room and bypassed the security measures. In moments he had written a virus that would wipe out all records of his visit except with those he had seen but he would take care of that.

With a snap of his feet he left the room to find the officer assigned to him talking with another soldier but he snapped to attention when Aaron appeared and without any words led Aaron back to the Guren. He mounted and spoke with the control tower as he ran through the launch prep.

"Guren Trinity ready for launch," he said.

"Guren Trinity you are not cleared for launch," the control tower issued and Aaron knew that someone had realized he wasn't supposed to be here.

"Pilot please dismount," the control tower ordered but instead Aaron flipped a switch and inputted a code.

"Geass Strike," Aaron said the code that activated the virus and in seconds the entire base had powerless.

"Taking the initiative Aaron took off in the Guren and once he was clear but full burn on the Knightmares wings. In seconds before the control tower could regain control and send troops after him, Aaron had disappeared into the western horizon.

* * *

"Jeremiah, we have located the Guren. I touched down at a research base in India twenty-five minutes ago. The pilot used Kouzaki's codes and a priority Zero pass code. We believe he obtained them through Geass. The base has orders to detain the pilot until you arrive," Schneizle spoke over the video feed.

"Are they reliable?" he asked as he checked the jets location, saw that the jet was just entering eastern China and calculated the time of arrival.

"The security is some of the best so they shouldn't have too much trouble if they catch the boy unawares. I would like you to interrogate him when you arrive and learn about him, because of your anti-Geass you should remain unaffected by him," Schneizle reasoned as Jeremiah shifted in his seat.

"What is they don't catch him?" Jeremiah asked in a tone that said he didn't trust "some of the best".

"Then gather information and report here as originally instructed. We assume he will come to myself or Zero at some point as we are the top with information about everyone and thing of consequence," Schneizle said.

* * *

Aaron landed on the top of Avalon Omega, he had scrambled the Guren signal so it would seem that he was invisible on radar and the night was dark with the faintest sliver of the moon to even show that the Guren was there. He dismounted taking with him a small miniature computer that he could put on his wrist and a knife that he hid at his back; and in the dark located an access door for maintenance crews and in a few minutes was inside the ship somewhere near the ventilation units.

He walked the corridors silently and quietly till he found his way to a central corridor. AT this time of the evening there were few people about and so there was no one to witness him emerging from an upper level maintenance hall.

Finding an access terminal he set about erasing himself from onboard video by looping the feeds and erasing his signature on internal scanners. He then pulled up a map and streamed the information to the wrist computer which gave him a blueprint of the entire ship, real time movement, and streaming cameras. He noticed most signs were aft but there were a few at the command deck and several people were in a room directly behind the command deck.

He checked the cameras and found that the room with the people in it was not hooked up to any cameras and that confirmed the thought that the man he was looking for would not want to be examined and should be close to the command deck should the man ever need to be there quickly.

Aaron left the station he had accessed and headed for that room. As he traversed the halls he found he hadn't quite planned his infiltration as perfectly as he would have liked as suddenly there was a flurry of activity. As he was bustled through the hall he learned that the Knightmares were scrambling for immediate intervention on orders from the U.F.N.

Aaron felt a shiver as he realized someone would discover the Guren but hopefully they wouldn't notice him until he had come to do his business and left. He went to the bridge and went to a console that afforded him a view of the bridge as he looked for people of import. People were coming and going which meant that Aaron could slip out when he needed to. After a few minutes of observing and watching communications he saw his target and eavesdropped.

"Schneizle, I leave the bridge to you. Please keep me informed of new developments. I will be taking the Neo Requiem out hopefully I will not have to test the new systems," Zero said in a low tone to Schneizle who nodded and watched as Zero walked off.

Aaron tried to think of how he could get to his target but nothing came to his mind until he wondered why the Guren hadn't been spotted yet. So he checked everything, then ran a sensor sweep and brought the Guren up of the sweep. Acting with alarm he made the alert.

"Sir there is an unregistered craft sitting atop the Avalon," Aaron spoke pulling off his gloves in an unobtrusive manner.

"What?" Schneizle asked as he walked over and stood over Aaron to look at the screen. Aaron pulled back and brushed Schneizle's hand. It was a brief touch but it was what he needed and Aaron smiled as he found the information he was looking for.

"It's just the Guren. "Kouzuki" piloted in during the night and hasn't left yet. Isn't that right?" Schneizle turned drawing Aaron's attention to the person who had just entered the bridge; Aaron's eyes widened at realization then he fell unconscious as Jeremiah activated his Geass.

* * *

After the skirmish and the rebellious units had been put to rest and the leaders set up for congress, Suzaku relaxed in his Knightmare cockpit as he waited to stow the Neo Requiem in the hold aboard the Avalon Omega. His eyes were closed as he thought and then an audio message came in.

"Zero we have captured the Geass user and regained control of Kouzuki's Guren. It was amazing on how well this kid worked with the Guren as good as or better than Kouzuki. The logs have it recorded that he had a compatibility percentage of 99.4%, it is amazing that anyone has that kind of ability. He even beat your records," Lloyd said in a jovial tone and Suzaku had no problem visualizing him over a computer reading the information from the Guren.

"Lakshata must be mad?" Suzaku said.

"Yes, she was yelling at me to return the Guren to her. But I have the urge to tweak this and that, and ohh, no wonder she has…" he began talking

"Lloyd where is the Geass user being held?" Suzaku asked as he pulled up his mask.

"Oh, he passed out and he was sequestered in the medical bay under guard," Lloyd said and Suzaku ended the conversation and left the cockpit and made his way to the medical bay. He walked up two levels to the starboard corridors. He entered the bay and saw two guards posted in the bay and a half drawn curtain that showed a figure laying in a bed.

"Zero," a woman's voice called across the bay and a female doctor left a desk where she had been working.

"Is that the boy?" Suzaku asked as he approached the bed and saw that a teenager lay upon the bed, he looked a little like a girl. His black hair was coiled across the pillow and across his shoulders. He looked peaceful except Suzaku noticed that he was handcuffed to his bed.

"Yes, he seems to be at about sixteen, in optimal health, very few health issues. He does have scars from what look like self inflicted wounds but they seem to be years old. Though brain patterns resemble more of a child's brain than a young adult. There is also a pattern underneath the dominant that I can't understand yet. I also noticed a slight swelling of the brain.

His toxic screens do show heavy doses of aspirin, and three empty bottles of Excedrin among his things, in his system denoting that he suffers headaches or is addicted. I also found traces of refrain in his blood work but it was at least a week ago he was exposed to it.

"Also the boy is wearing contact lenses. They are a special color contact that I have never seen before. I have taken a look at the spares the boy had in his pack and I am baffled at it. There is a film on it that erodes as soon as it comes in contact with air but it is designed to hide something.

"Why have I orders to make sure that my hands are gloved when I attend him and to not let him touch my bare skin?" the doctor asked after filling in Suzaku of Aaron's condition.

someone came in behind him and the doctor fell silent as she recognized who it was. "Zero, so you were told," Jeremiah said as he came in and looked at the boy over Suzaku's shoulder.

"Yes, so he has said nothing since he was captured," Suzaku asked.

"He has been unconscious since we brought him into custody. It has been two hours since then and I have kept vigilant watch over him," Jeremiah said as the doctor went back to her station and began to work.

"Does the good doctor and the guards have clearance to be present?" Suzaku asked

"The doctor does but the guards will be dismissed. Schneizle also wishes to be present at the interrogation, but we have to wait for the kid to wake up first," Jeremiah assured Suzaku. Suzaku nodded as he thought and out of the corner of his eye he saw movement on the bed.

"Doctor," Suzaku said as he watched the boy turn his head. The doctor rushed next to the bed, she pulled on surgical gloves, kept a hand on the boys pulse and checked his vitals.

"Heart rate normal, pulse and breathing even. He is waking up," the doctor stood next the boy as his eyes blinked open. "How are you feeling?" she asked leaning over him.

His eyes went wide and he pulled back as far as the bed and cuffs would allow him. He began to squirm and sob, "please no don't put me through anymore tests. I promise I will be good, don't hurt me anymore. I promise I won't ask about them anymore, just please," the boy sobbed causing Suzaku and Jeremiah to take a step back.

"Leave us," Suzaku ordered the guards they saluted and left the medical bay," Doctor what is your clearance level?" he asked.

"Medical Specialist Level 1, it gives me special access to all personnel with my clearance and higher. So my clearance would have put me as your physician if any accident were to occur and you needed medical attention," she assured him and turned as he pulled off his mask and pulled down

"It's okay, we won't hurt you. WE won't do any tests," he said reassuringly as he stood next to Aaron not able to keep himself from trying to comfort the boy.

"I, I want my mom. Mom, mom, where is mom? Please let me go," Aaron begged and sobbed.

"Who is your mom?" Suzaku asked.

"My mom is, she is, Why I can't remember her. What did you do to me," Aaron screamed, tears streaming down his face.

"You infiltrated us remember," Jeremiah said as he stood at the end of the bed in a stern tone make Aaron whimper in terror.

"infiltrated? What does that mean? Where's mom?" Aaron asked his face smeared with tears and his wrists showing the strain against the metal cuffs.

"Infiltrated means to sneak into. To come without making yourself known to others. You are sixteen and you don't know what that word means?" Suzaku asked confused.

"Sixteen? I'm four, where is Mom?" Aaron sobbed. "No more tests please. Give me back my mom," the teen closed his eyes and the doctor put her hand on his throat and checked his vitals.

"He passed out," she said looking up and looking away realizing she looked at the true face of Zero.

"It would seem that he has reverted to childhood, before he received his Geass. Tests, the facility?" Suzaku said with rhetoric.

"I would only hazard that as the truth. They did do testing on young kids and the records that I remember had them experimenting on children as young as five or six, maybe even younger. Who knows if this boy was actually a part of it," Jeremiah said.

"Sir I request access to documentation to these things, Geass and the experiments. If this boy has had contact with them I would like to know more of what I am dealing with if you would please," the doctor asked in a small nervous voice.

"That would be my call," Schneizle walked in with Kanon behind him. "What have you learned?"

Jeremiah filled Schneizle in as he watched the sleeping Aaron trying to understand the mind behind the person.

"So child vocabulary and actions. Jeremiah, have you ever had this side affect from the use of your Geass?" Schneizle asked.

"No, but then this is the first time I have used it on this type of Geass before. In other cases it just canceled the effects of the Geass, but it looks like it has erased the personality of this child," Jeremiah said.

"So all your knowledge has been erased has it? or do you still have something up your sleeve?" Suzaku asked the sleeping Aaron before pulling up his mask and leaving the room to Schniezle and Jeremiah to take care of the teen.

* * *

**Rei: Why are you both locked up?**

**Aaron&Hannah: Who do you think locked us up? *glares***

**Rei: who's that? *points in random direction to distract the two***

**C.C.: *with a mouthful of Pizza* me?**

**Rei&Aaron&Hannah: C.C.? Why?**

**C.C.: oh just watching you kill the author. Now where is L.L.? *wanders off***

**Aaron&Hanah: Wait! We want the code!**


	6. Chapter 6

Hannah awoke to a noise and she sat up rubbing her eyes. She was confused for a moment when she saw Ushio with two guards in a room she hadn't seen before and then it all came flooding back.

"You lying sack of," she started to get up rounding on Ushio when he interrupted by giving orders to the guards.

"Bring her to the transport, she is going to the Avalon where the higher ups will interrogate her further. I have enough of a mess trying to find that leak and squashing it out of the papers," Ushio said as he turned on his heels and the guards took hold of Hannah as she let out a string of curses and profanity.

Ushio walked away his head thumping with a headache and confused because the story of Zero had been plastered across the headlines of a journal that morning and he didn't know where it had come from. The author was a pen name that he couldn't track down and he knew that the source of information was Hannah because all the facts were the same as the ones in Hannah's notes.

As he returned to his desk he looked at the Journals cover that had a full blown picture of Zero and an insert of Lelouch with the words across it "ZERO, THE ORIGINAL MAN BEHIND THE MASK". He turned to the article and began to read the article again.

"Zero appeared out of nowhere claiming to be the Justice Area Eleven, Japan as it was known, needed to protect the citizens and end the corruption. It began with a bullet and a Prince and then to Terrorism to save a single innocent life. But is that really what it was, what if it was a string of coincidences and illusions for a bigger selfish goal in a game played by a man behind a mask, a mask called Zero.

If we look back we can see a string of exemplary acts by one of the greatest men in history. Although the first shot was a blow to many for all of Prince Clovis's misdeeds he was actually a gentle person who had no grasp for what really was happening but then if he hadn't there would have been no Zero to upturn the world.

But what if Zero killing Clovis had all been an act of revenge?" Ushio sighed as he read, he couldn't believe that any of this was true and if it was then it meant that what he believed in was false and his leaders were false as well. He had been given clearance on Geass as he had been trained by Jeremiah Gottwold and was to keep an eye on anyone looking for information of Zero, Geass or anything else classified.

A com beeped and he answered, "Is the girl en route?" Jeremiah's voice asked.

"Yes sir, she should be there in eight hours. Though we have a problem with the media, it seems there is a story in one of the magazines about Zero and his identity has been released to the public though I have an idea to…" he began to talk.

"No leave it, it is out so it is up to the populace to believe it or not," Jeremiah interrupted.

"Yes sir," Ushio said a little deflated.

"This is a request from Empress Nunnally. She wishes that the world read this version of events, whether or not it is assumptions or actual truth," Jeremiah said with something that Ushio felt was relief. So was some of the article truth or was it all true.

"I understand sir," Ushio said and the com beeped as it ended. Standing he straightened his coat and put the papers on his desk thinking. He looked up, saw the time, he cursed, and stood going to the closet he hung up his jacket and changed then took off, he was late for work at the newspaper.

* * *

Suzaku looked at the cover of the magazine; the picture was of him at one of many events and a smaller caption of Lelouch the day of the death march. He had read the article and wasn't sure if he should smirk or be furious. As he watched out the window at the scenery below, he remembered the first time he had seen Lelouch after seven years. It had been odd; he had found the stolen truck with the gas capsule that was actually a girl. But then that was when Zero was created, how close he was but then how far away.

He gazed around the room his eyes falling upon the photos from his high school days and sighed as he remembered some of the times and couldn't help imagine the layers of conflict between them.

"Damn him. Even in death he plays us," Suzaku flung the magazine away from him as Schneizle entered.

"You read the story I take it. I am actually a little glad that some of the truth is out, I disliked my brother being labeled as an evil demon tyrant, but that was his part to play in the scheme of things," Schneizle said as he came over and picked up the magazine and flipped open to a page.

"I sometimes wonder what would have happened if I had known he was Zero in the beginning. If I had joined with him at the start instead of shunning him, would it have made a difference? He was cruel to hide his face from his best friend, but then again it was a necessity I guess. I didn't believe in his way of doing things, especially when he murdered Prince Clovis," Suzaku said solemnly.

"Clovis did many things that make me disclaim him as my brother, but still I can't believe Lelouch could have shot him, they were close when they were young so," Schneizle trailed off.

"Yeah, Lelouch changed when Japan was invaded, and then he gained Geass. Oh did you meet with the boy again?" Suzaku asked.

"Yes. The doctor has deduced that his amnesia is genuine and after looking at Geass we have come to the conclusion that Jeremiah's Geass canceller cancelled all the lives he had absorbed, which I guess began when he was four. WE ran prints and blood work and have deduced that he is the son of a pair of doctors who were attached to a research project but were killed in an unfortunate accident. Soon after the boy, Aaron and his twin sister disappeared being written off as victims of the same accident. How much truth is in the records we will never know," Schneizle put the magazine down on the table.

"Is his Geass working?" Suzaku asked.

"No, we removed his lenses and have had him touch specific individuals but there is no sign of Geass. Jeremiah is theorizing that when he cancelled the boys Geass he also sealed it. Forcing the boy to revert to his pre-Geass state and from further discussions we believe his to be a test subject from the Geass plant. We have gone through what records we have left and have found nothing but a few things and mostly failures," Schneizle said as he took a seat.

"Not a failure. What did they do with the failures? Dispose of them?" Suzaku asked.

"Yes, they were give a few years and if there was no progress they were 'disposed' of," Schneizle said.

"That is sick. Using children as guinea pigs and then disposing them when they had no further use. Despicable!" Suzaku's face was white and embittered.

"What if the boy Aaron was a failure?" Schneizle asked. Suzaku looked up from his clenched fists in confusion.

"A failure?" Suzaku asked looking at Schneizle for a hint.

"What if failure was what he wanted to be thought of? From what we have deduced, his Geass copies the life of the one he has touched so if we assume that his Geass was activated at four, he probably touched a researcher and gained his or her life and understood the truth of the world," Schneizle theorized.

"My god, the mind becoming aware at such an age when the concept of life and death doesn't exist; he understood the nature of the lab and what was happening before he even began to learn," Suzaku's face looked like he had become aware of something distasteful.

"So what's sitting in that medical bay is a Geass success beyond the organization's grasp. A walking encyclopedia of knowledge from hundreds if not thousands of people, we cannot let that man walk about freely. It seems that Jeremiah wiped his mind but we do not know how completely, for all we know he could regain his Geass and start collecting memories again. We know he is after C.C. but that is all," Schneizle said.

"You said he had a twin sister? Where is she?" Suzaku asked.

"We can't find her. There is no record of her anywhere, if anyone knows it is him and he doesn't even know where he is so I don't think there anything we can do about it," Schneizle said. Suzaku said nothing, sighed dropping the papers in his hands on a table and stood. He walked to where the mask was.

"It's time to see what is happening down there," Suzaku pointed out the window towards the countryside below and Schneizle sighed with the weight of the world.

"The Rebellion tribes have for the moment surrendered and a peace committee is meeting with the elders, you are requested to be present to watch the proceedings. The tribes are requesting…" Schneizle began as he followed Suzaku out of the quarters to the bridge to check on the operations.

* * *

"Is it time to leave already?" C.C. asked as she chewed a slice of cheese pizza. She was sitting at a booth in a pizza parlor somewhere and she had Cheese-kun in her lap. Her face should her confusion as cheese was linked from the slice to her lip.

"Yes, we have been here for a month too long," Lelouch said as he sat. In the ten years since he was assassinated his face hadn't changed but he had grown his hair out a little and he wore glasses.

"But this place has such good pizza!" C.C. objected before taking another bite.

"C.C. we have someone looking for you. You are not exactly inconspicuous," Lelouch began to say.

"I have lived for many years more than you, don't you think I know how to hide myself if need be? How do you think we have lived without you being found out L.L.?" C.C. said, "Or have you forgotten that you were supposed to die or take my code but you ended up doing neither of those things, silly boy," she muttered the last part under her breath putting the pizza down having lost her appetite for the moment then picking it back up began to nibble.

"You know I hadn't meant for this to happen, but at least you won't go through this alone. I am your accomplice, right?" he asked in a way that made them both think of when she was the one bailing him out of troublesome situations.

"You didn't take my code, but at least you fulfilled my true wish and not the one I had lied to myself about," she smiled softly in a way that she only showed to him.

"Yes, ah Anya," Lelouch said as Anya approached. She looked at the remaining slice of pizza and sighed as she scooted in next to Lelouch ignoring his squirm and began to eat the last piece taking a picture to log it before consuming it in seconds.

"So this Geass user has he said anything?" C.C. asked as she dropped the crust of her piece back on the plate next to the others.

"Nothing, Jeremiah says that his Geass has erased all information in the boy's brain, or at least all information he absorbed with his Geass leaving him pretty muddled. From what we can deduce he was given Geass by V.V. How he escaped the facility is a good question, I thought you two destroyed it along with everyone in it?" Anya asked.

"I thought so too. Maybe he was unaccounted for or something?" Lelouch said thinking critically.

"So he has no memory of anything?" C.C. asked.

"He remembers that he had something once but can't remember. Doctors who are looking have deduced that since he received Geass at such a young age the memories of others took the place of his actual ones and warped his personality a bit. So the snotty kid Kouzuki met was altogether different from the kid we are treating now. He seems to be about the mentality of four but that still hasn't been understood," Anya told them as she handed Lelouch a computer file.

"So his personality was built on the memories of others?" C.C. asked objectively.

"Read the file, Jeremiah made sure to include everything," Anya said as she went to get up and letting Lelouch glance over the file she had left beside her.

"I am thinking that although that boy is an amnesiac that we will be seeing him again," Lelouch noted as he began to read.

"I too have that feeling and that neither code is safe," C.C. said sliding from the booth leaving Lelouch to pay the bill and to catch up.

* * *

**Author: So sorry I took so long.**

** Aaron: No your not. You forgot about me, just like I did.**

** Hannah: Shame on you making a poor girl cry.**

** Aaron: sheesh I am a guy do I have to prove it.**

** Author: are you crying anymore.**

** Aaron: no**

** Hannah: then you arn't a girl.**

** Aaron: ...**

** Author: give me thoughts and comments I am hitting a brain block.**

_It is the year 2028 it has been ten years since Britannia's tyrant 99__th__ emperor Lelouch died at Zero's hands. The progress of the world has gone from one of grudging hate between peoples of different nationalities, races, and religions to one that has new found respect between people with great differences and works around them. This great age is led by Britannia's Empress Nunnally "The Innocent", Zero, the leader of the Black Knights, Prince Schneizle of Britannia, and Empress Tianzi of the Chinese Federation among others._

Disclaimer: I do not own in any part Code Geass or any of it's Characters.


	7. Chapter 7

_**Disclaimer: I do not own in any part Code Geass or any of it's Characters.**_

_It is the year 2028 it has been ten years since Britannia's tyrant 99__th__ emperor Lelouch died at Zero's hands. The progress of the world has gone from one of grudging hate between peoples of different nationalities, races, and religions to one that has new found respect between people with great differences and works around them. This great age is led by Britannia's Empress Nunnally "The Innocent", Zero, the leader of the Black Knights, Prince Schneizle of Britannia, and Empress Tianzi of the Chinese Federation among others.

* * *

_

Hannah sat on the bed in the room that was spare of anything and no windows. It was not a jail cell and she was happy for that as she enjoyed a solid bed. Although it was silent, she could hear the sounds of the Avalon in flight. She had been brought aboard and placed in a cell in the early morning hours and had yet to see anyone other than the guard bringing her some porridge and a paper cup of water.

Hannah sighed as she dozed her mind and body drained from the events of the past day. Although she had slept on the transport it hadn't been reviving and she was now hopelessly bored so sleep seemed to be her best option at the moment.

She heard a swoosh and a breath of air. Footsteps came in and someone cleared their throat. She didn't look up but rolled toward the wall instead moaning, "just five more minutes." There was a chuckle from someone behind her making her smile.

"Someone has a sense of humor," she thought and the voice cleared itself again.

"Miss Hannah, I am sorry to disturb you but we must have answers on some things. What do you know of Zero, Geass, and the boy Aaron?" a voice she recognized from broadcasts as being Prince Schneizle's. Her eyes flashed open and she sat up looking at him her mouth open that such a man was standing beside her. She would have been ecstatic if she wasn't being interrogated for theft and treason.

"Miss Yoshikawa please answer our questions and we may stay civil," Kanon said from behind Prince Schneizle.

"Um, Zero, he is the hero of new world order; Geass, it's the power of the kings and gives supernatural powers to people. Um, Aaron, met him yesterday or the day before and he told me about Geass," she said in simplest forms.

"Everything. Do you know who Zero really is?" Schneizle asked clasping his hands behind him.

"Um, I believe Zero was original Lelouch Lamperouge actually Lelouch Vi Britannia, your younger brother and sister to empress Nunnally. Um, he was the original Zero and someone else is Zero now. Who I don't know," she said her forehead creasing trying to remember her thoughts and theories and forming them into short sentences.

"You are correct, my brother was originally Zero but now he is dead and hopefully laid to rest somewhere safe," Schneizle said.

"Prince Schneizle?" Kanon said with warning and confusion.

"It's alright, she guessed this much so I assume someone took her notes and published them," Schneizle said waving a hand at Kanon, "especially since she was tailed from the library to her home that night she couldn't have sent anything to a publisher."

Hannah's eyes widened and she remembered what Ushio had showed her and she ground her teeth. She was mad at whoever had taken her hard work and published it for themselves leaving her to take the blame. It would have been one thing if she had published and gotten but it was entirely different from the situation she was in now.

"I would like to confirm that this boy is the same one that you met a few days ago," Schneizle continued after watching Hannah's features tense with anger at her thoughts and left the cell with Kanon sighing.

"Follow him miss," he said and signaled for two guards to flank them. They walked a short ways and through a passage into the medical bay. Jeremiah stood there watching the curtains that enclosed the bed as a female doctor sat reading an electronic file her face concentrating on the words.

"Is this all you have on the subject?" she asked looking up when she heard the door open and then noticed that Schneizle had a prisoner and guards with her and she closed her mouth and turned off her pad.

"Doctor, Jeremiah, this is Hannah Yoshikawa I want her to identify the patient as the same one who she met with two days ago. Miss Hannah please," Schneizle beckoned her to the curtain and when she looked she say a young kid with long black hair cuffed to the bed. The kids face was covered as he was curled up in as much of a fetal position as he could. Stepping close she brushed his hair back touching his cheek.

"Please don't touch him," Jeremiah ordered causing her to jerk back missing Aaron's eyes flashing open the bird insignia flashing. Jeremiah handed Hannah a glove and confused snapped it on and picked up his hair again. She gazed at his sleeping face and watched his breathing. Although his hair was different this was the same boy he had met though he seemed more at peace than before.

"This is him," Hannah said letting his hair fall back in his face. Aaron opened his eyes watching them from beneath him hair. He could see them talking, the guards walking Hannah back out of the room. He remembered enough to know he had caused the problem and he sat up and spoke.

"Hannah, ce n'est pas de te faute. Je cherchais pour C.C. et le code qui a disparu," he said everyone stopping and looking at him puzzled. He knew what he said but they hadn't understood him. Hannah was looking at him her eyes narrowed.

"Ce n'est pas de me faute. Pourquoi, tu entrais mon vie et tournais mon vie à l'envers. Mais, tu me dit à propos de Lelouch et Zero," she answered him in her childhood language and everyone stared and looked at her.

"What?" she asked them confused.

"What did he say?" Jeremiah asked.

"None of you speak French." She asked incredulously.

"Obviously we would be following the conversation if we could, Prince Schneizle and myself had translators when we dealt with French dignitaries in the past.

"Basically Aaron said it wasn't my fault and he was looking for C.C and the missing Code. I basically said that if he hadn't turned my life upside down I wouldn't have learned about Lelouch and Zero," she said quickly with exasperation.

"quoi?" Aaron asked this time puzzled.

"We know you can understand us so stop faking," Jeremiah said.

"Je ne vous comprend pas," Aaron said looking at Jeremiah; his voice childlike and full of confusion.

"Doctor?" Schneizle turned to the doctor and she looked at her monitors.

"His brain has changed and is fluctuating. I don't understand the patterns; they're weird, like there are many brains being interchanged on the wires. Here," she handed her pad to Schneizle who looked at the scans showing the spikes and falls of brain activity from the boy.

"It seems when Miss Hannah touched him she caused a Geass reactivation," Schneizle said with a sigh. Aaron looked about him confused.

"Quoi?" he asked trying to get someone to tell him. He felt himself start hyperventilating his palms breaking out into a cold sweat.

"Doctor please run more tests. Miss Hannah I am going to have to ask you to be translator until we can find someone else, please," Schneizle said and Aaron felt that they were talking about him. His left arm began to ache and then went numb. Something behind him started to beep loudly, he glanced and saw the numbers on the screen were really high. He wasn't sure if they were supposed to be that high and then he lost consciousness.

"Oh No. I need a crash cart in here stat," the doctor cried pushing past Schneizle to the boy without putting on gloves or anything as she watched her monitors and feeling his neck looking for a pulse. In seconds the crash cart had rolled in with a team of nurses and another doctor as they began to work.

"What happened?" Hannah asked as she was being pulled from the room by Jeremiah.

"He had a heart attack by the looks of it," Jeremiah said as his firm hands on her shoulders pulled her down the corridor.

"Heart Attack? He is only a teenager," she said glancing back at the room where the frail boy lay with doctors trying to resuscitate him.

"I don't pretend to understand what is happening I only know that the boy Aaron went into Cardiac Arrest. I am sure we will be informed at a later time when they stabilize him or not," Jeremiah said as he walked her into her cell and closed the door. He hit a switch on the outside and the top of the wall pulled back revealing a window with the landscape far below that went from a city to beaches to a sea.

"Geez, when did journalism develop such an action packed work day," she said crashing on the cot burying her head into the thin mattress.

* * *

"He has no beat. Charge those paddles," the doc ordered her hand pulling from where she had been doing CPR. She took the paddles and placed them on the boy and counted. "Clear," she heard the whine of the machine and the jolt of electricity as it flowed through the metal into the boy's chest and into his heart. His body jumped a bit and there was a slight beat before he flat lined again.

"Clear," she said again and she heard the machine run again. Again Aaron's body jumped at the shock but nothing happened.

"Increase the voltage. Clear," she ordered hysteria in her voice. The machine operator turned a dial and hit the charge. This time Aaron's heart beat.

Beep…. Beep.. beep…..beep…beep… beep….. beep…

"He's tacking," a nurse called.

"Diazepam," the doc said and was handed a syringe and bottle she pulled the required dose and ejected Aaron.

beep….. beep…. beep…. beep… beep… beep…

"He's stabilized," the doc breathed with a sigh and from her pocket lifted Aaron's lids and dropped them with a shock.

"What's the matter," the nurse asked reaching for Aaron's eyes.

"Stop. Everyone leave the bed side and close the curtain. This boy requires clearance to attend, I will call if I need any," she said and waited as the nurses stood back and closed the curtain. She heard whispers, the cleaning, disposal and packing away of medical supplies.

With a deep breath the doc drew her pen light and once again lifted Aaron's eyes. The red bird sigil was bright in his eyes but behind it she saw that Aaron's eyes were dilated and unresponsive.

She sighed as she checked his other eye and saw it was the same. She stepped out and picked up her pad from where it had fallen and pulled up Aaron's brain charts. They were flatlined and unresponsive.

"Doctor?" Kanon asked from where he stood in the corner.

"He's a vegetable," the doc said flatly.

* * *

"A vegetable?" Lelouch said looking at the latest report anya had handed him.

"Yeah, it just came in. Jeremiah said that once everything was cleaned up he would be back," Anya said as she watched C.C. sitting on the edge of the porch her hair in curled pig tails and wearing overalls clutching Cheese-kun that was well worn with age.

"Even if the threat is gone, C.C. and I need to be moving on. Just because one geass user has been found and taken care of doesn't mean that another that we overlooked won't," Lelouch said handing the pad back to Anya as he lifted the overly large suitcase and put it in the back of the antique convertible car.

"Now you are just showing off," C.C. said as he flexed his arms. Ten years of living on the fringes with C.C. had worn off on Lelouch so that his physique could lift a basket loaded with oranges and run down a orchard aisle without being too winded.

"Hey I'm proud that if I raced Suzaku now I would at least keep up with him for the most of the race," Lelouch said proudly.

"Yeah, when Suzaku chased you down the drive with a sword for making him and everyone else believe you were dead for ten years," Anya said with a smile.

"You wouldn't," Lelouch paled.

"Stop teasing L.L. Anya, you know he has guilt about his human life," C.C. remarked standing and hopping into the passenger seat.

"Thanks C.C.," Lelouch said snapping the trunk shut. "Anya, tell Jeremiah thanks for putting up with us. We will drop by next season," Lelouch said as he opened his door and slid into the seat. Anya leaned on the door frame, "please call once a month. Jeremiah freaks if he hasn't heard from the son of Lady Marianne every once in a while."

"I will remind him to do so. Take care Anya," C.C. said turning in her seat so she spoke directly at Anya.

"Drive safe you hear," Anya called and took a snap shot of the two driving off down the road.

* * *

**Hannah: Aaron is DEAD!**

**Author: Yes, he is a vegetable, for now.**

**Hannah: Hunh?**

**Aaron:... *drools in a broccoli suit***

**C.C.: Vegetable Pizza...**

**Author: that's all I am going to say. Hey C.C. where did the Pizza go?  
**


	8. Chapter 8

_**Disclaimer: I do not own in any part Code Geass or any of it's Characters.**_

_It is the year 2028 it has been ten years since Britannia's tyrant 99__th__ emperor Lelouch died at Zero's hands. The progress of the world has gone from one of grudging hate between peoples of different nationalities, races, and religions to one that has new found respect between people with great differences and works around them. This great age is led by Britannia's Empress Nunnally "The Innocent", Zero, the leader of the Black Knights, Prince Schneizle of Britannia, and Empress Tianzi of the Chinese Federation among others._

* * *

Jeremiah sat at a table across from Zero with Schneizle at the head. Jeremiah stared at Zero as he tapped his fingers on the table top, the file before him lay unopened. Schneizle sat reading his and Zero had finished reading his and sat waiting for Schneizle.

"So the doctor has declared the boy Aaron brain dead. Apparently with the lack of oxygen and the combination of Geass in his brain she concluded that the overload killed his brain to put it in simplest terms," Schneizle said glancing at the two men.

"So we will never know what his true objective was or where, if there are any, other Geass users are," Zero said crisply.

"I have to say some of this is my fault as my Geass seems to have been to root of the problems," Jeremiah said.

"We don't hold you responsible. It was just a variable of problems, though I would like you to escort the body to a secure facility where the boy's body will be held for scientific research," Schneizle said and Jeremiah nodded somberly.

"Once I have done this I am going to go back to retirement and my harvest. I am afraid that some of my workers have taken off in my absence so I can't leave Anya to the harvest on her own," Jeremiah said shifting in his seat.

"A transport is scheduled to leave in an hour. Hannah Yoshikawa, what will we be doing with her?" Schneizle asked looking at both men.

"We can't keep her confined here forever. As it is I believe she needs to sign non-disclosure contracts on Geass and the events that occurred ten years ago. We don't want to give her license to keep digging up the past," Zero speculated.

"She is bright we can use here in logistics and keep an eye on her," Schneizle said automatically thinking of a few places to put her.

"For the time being we can put her out of the spot light and send her someplace remote," Zero said mulling a thought.

"Oh no," Jeremiah said sitting up straight.

"That might be a good idea," Schneizle said scratching his chin and glancing at Jeremiah with thoughtful eyes.

"She would be under surveillance there," Zero continued.

"No I will not do it," Jeremiah said his hand slamming on the table.

"What's the matter Jeremiah it's only a little girl. How could she even take on the 'Orange Boy'," Schneizle said.

Jeremiah let his hands fall into his hands, "Fine. Let me prepare Anya first. She doesn't like even the idea of competition."

"So it's settled," Zero said standing.

"Jeremiah you have fifty minutes until the transport leaves. Zero we have a meeting with the council and the Somalia dignitaries," Schneizle said gathering his folders as Kanon came in and taking them and handing him a stack of new ones.

"Sir the empress wishes…" Kanon and Schneizle walked from the room as Kanon briefed Schneizle on things. Zero followed behind his folders under his arm. Jeremiah sat for a few minutes before standing and walking towards the infirmary.

He entered and saw the doctor detaching cords from the boy's body and making so that he would be mobile the only monitors were a heart rate and a mobile fluids. He touched him barehanded and with the aid of a nurse.

"Is that wise?" Jeremiah asked pointed to the glove box.

"He is a vegetable and has been since my diagnosis. The neural activity is only at the lowest levels, which are the base levels for the sustenance of life. So we are safe," she said as she unstuck the last wire and coiled them away.

"Is he ready for transport?" Jeremiah asked.

"Yes, you can have your personnel move him now," she said and stepped back checking on another patient.

"You two," Jeremiah pointed out the two guards in the doors, "take the patient to the transport I will be there momentarily," Jeremiah walked out the door but not before he heard an ow! glancing back the nurse had tripped and a case of needles were rolling across the floor and falling from Aaron's bed.

"Silly girl you know to watch the wires," the doctor said as she came and began to pick up the needles," Jeremiah walked down the hall assured that everything was fine. He came to the cells and found Hannah leaning against the wall looking out over the scenery below. He entered his code and entered her cell, she didn't move.

"Miss Yoshikawa you are being transferred. Please stand," Jeremiah ordered and waited a moment. Hannah didn't move she just continued to stare out the window.

"I apologize for the treatment you have been given but this will be the last transfer for a while, so please cooperate," Hannah still didn't answer.

"Miss Yoshikawa please answer me," Jeremiah reached forward and put a hand on her shoulder her head lolled forward and a light snore came from her lips. His head dropped as he sighed.

"Miss Yoshikawa," he shook her gently and she murmured, he shook her harder "Miss Yoshikawa, please wake up."

Hannah's eyes snapped open and her hands went to attack Jeremiah, he quickly subdued her by holding her wrists behind her back, as she regained her senses realizing where she was.

"Oh, sorry." She said immediately regretting she had apologized.

"its fine after having the days you have had I am surprised you were able to recognize anything at all," Jeremiah stepped back allowing Hannah to right herself. "Did Aaron come around?" she asked rubbing her wrists.

"He didn't make it," Jeremiah said sadly, trying to let her down slowly.

"Didn't make it. He died, a boy died of a heart attack?" she asked confused and shocked that the boy was gone.

"He didn't die, but he isn't aware anymore," Jeremiah said dancing the issue.

"What does that mean?" she asked.

He sighed, "The boy Aaron is now a vegetable. The good doctor thinks that the combination of Geass effects and the anxiety which ignited the heart attack plus the lack of oxygen stopped al brain functions other than the most basic functions."

Hannah nodded she didn't know why she felt said for the kid but she knew that someone who could have given her so many stories was gone.

"Miss Yoshikawa, I have been ordered to transfer you and Aaron to secure locations," Jeremiah said gesturing that she should follow him. She did her head low but she perked up when Jeremiah said locations.

"Locations? You planning on chopping us up?" she said.

Jeremiah cracked a smile, "No, the boy is going to a facility where they will monitor him while you come with me where I can keep an eye on you."

"So what house arrest?" she asked as they entered a launch bay.

"and forced labor. I don't put you up for nothing." Jeremiah said ahead they saw Aaron being wheeled onto a waiting transport.

"So you are taking me to you orchards in California and will be declined everything," Hannah said deflating at the prospect of being a farmer for the rest of her life. Why did she have to find an interest in Zero and the tyrant? Why did she have to find out about Geass? She knew why, she had the reporters blood and an interest in mysteries and this one was just the largest she had ever cracked.

"Only for a little while," Jeremiah said motioning for Hannah to take a seat and made sure she was buckled in and secure so she wouldn't get up unless allowed to do so. He made sure that the bed with the boy Aaron was secure and then told the pilots they were clear for takeoff.

Hannah leaned back in her seat ignoring her confinement and quickly fell asleep. Jeremiah couldn't blame her she hadn't gotten a decent night's sleep in days. This would be the chance for her to rest and recuperate.

Jeremiah settled in his seat closing his own eyes remembering when times were much simpler. He jumped when a call came in. He flipped on the screen and saw Anya, he smiled at her, "I am on my way back with a conscript in tow." He said cheerfully.

"Oh, Who?" she asked.

"Hannah Yoshikawa, the little girl that the Black Knights have been in an uproar over for the past few days," Jeremiah said. "Tell C.C. and L.L. to make themselves scarce for a few days."

"Won't have to; they took off this morning right after we received your latest report. In that old car of theirs, they won't be back for at least for a few seasons," Anya said. Jeremiah breathed a sigh and he felt his back relax as he realized he had had quite a bit of tension.

"I know it was scary to think what would occur if L.L. was seen by anyone but us and a few others. Certainly Zero and Schneizle don't need to know that he is alive," Anya said.

"Well that solves a problem. Anyways, I have been ordered to drop off a vegetable before returning to retirement with some baggage," Jeremiah said with a small smile.

"See you at lunch then," she said. They finished their goodbyes and Jeremiah turned off the video phone. He heard something fall. He looked around and saw something rolling on the floor by the boy. Jeremiah unbuckled and stood going over. It was a syringe, confused he bent over and picked it up, just as a shadow passed over him he felt a prick on his neck and then darkness.

* * *

Hannah awoke feeling refreshed and smelled something good. She turned her head and saw Jeremiah asleep in chair on the other side of the transport. She unbuckled herself and stood stopping when she realized that she shouldn't have been able to do that. She heard movement around the corner in the transport galley.

"Hello?" she called warily moving slowly around the wall.

In the galley she gave a gasp of surprise when she saw Aaron pulling out an instant meal of pork chops, broccoli and mashed potatoes. He grabbed a fork from an empty container looking up at Hannah when she entered.

"Oh, hi Hannah!" he said carefully taking the hot meal to an unoccupied chair across from where she had been sitting.

She couldn't believe it. The boy who had been lying in a coma just hours before and acting like a four year old just before that sat before her as if nothing was wrong.

"You were a vegetable? Why are you awake? What just happened?" she asked her mind reeling to hundreds of questions.

"I was a vegetable, I can't sleep forever, I took over the transport and made dinner," he said cutting into the pork chop and picking up potatoes before popping the piece into his mouth.

"Ok. Let me get this straight. A few hours ago you were lying in a hospital bed with a dead brain in a coma, now you are walking around like nothing ever happened eating dinner," Hannah fumed.

"Exactly," Aaron said through a full mouth.

"How? How come you could do that?" she asked crossing her arms and legs waiting for his answer. They sat in silence until he had finished eating putting the empty dish to the side and relaxing.

"How you ask?" Aaron said with deliberation, "simply, my brain rebooted." Hannah sat with shock and confusion. It must have been on her face because Aaron sighed and began to explain.

"Every person's brain is like a giant supercomputer, but only most people only use about ten percent of it. My brain is a supercomputer on crack, because of my Geass of absolute knowledge. When Sir Jeremiah Gottwold hit me with his Geass he didn't take into consideration that he would reset my neural pathways to before I had received my Geass. I received it at age four and my original personality has grown little from it and the personality you speak with now is only a compilation of hundreds if not thousands of individuals. Hence why my word is generally truth and I seem to act above my age and to any affect.

"Anyways when you touched me in the lab you reactivated my Geass and brought forth all personalities like your but while my brain was still trying to reboot I became stuck in your childhood language, French. With the inability to understand and my adrenaline raging high due to the effects of my Geass my body went into overload causing a heart attack. I did die for several minutes my brain shutting down. It took a little while but my brain did a full reboot bringing it to a full system restore. All the knowledge was there, Jeremiah didn't destroy it but the most recent memories, and here I am with all the memories from before I infiltrated the Avalon II," Aaron said.

"So you are the same conceited kid who I met a few days ago?" she said bringing a hand to her chin.

"Yes with some knowledge you might like to know," Aaron said dangling bait.

"What?" Hannah asked thinking it was nothing.

"I have found Lelouch vi Britannia, alive and well," Aaron said smugly.

"He died!" Hannah exclaimed.

"He did but was reborn, I think he goes by the name L.L. now," Aaron said rubbing his temple.

"How did you learn this?" she asked.

Aaron pointed at the figure across the aisle, Hannah saw Jeremiah, "He is rather convenient without his Geass and several cc's of sedative. He should be out for the remainder of the flight," Aaron said standing and taking his dish back to the galley and throwing it away.

"Where is Lelouch?" Hannah bolted up grabbing the boys arm a look of desperation.

"He was at the orchard up until today. I figure he has left a clue of his whereabouts or some contact for Anya and Jeremiah, considering they are the only ones who know of Lelouch's resurrection," Aaron said.

Hannah let him go thinking. She finally found the lost piece of history that could change the nature of history bringing forth everything that had happened.

"What is your interest in the tyrant?" Hannah asked curiously.

"He has something I want and I will do anything to get it, before it is too late to do anything," Aaron said going to Jeremiah and touched his neck checking the pulse. Aaron went back to his stretcher and from the sheets produced a syringe.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Giving him another dose, I don't want him to awaken before I am ready. We cannot have a repeat of the Avalon, if that happened again I don't think even my brain could recover a second time. Even though I am now back to normal I still have issues," Aaron said measuring the amount and stuck Jeremiah with it and then disposing of the syringe.

"How did you get those?" she asked.

"I awoke just before they were going to move me, talk about coincidence, and I cause the nurse to trip spilling the sedatives around me. I snuck a few as they went to pick them up. You can commend me on my genius," he said with a flourish of a bow.

"Ok, no," Hannah said dropping into her seat and Aaron settled back into his closing his eyes.

"So how long till we land?" she asked.

"An hour I think, you slept for about six while I have been catching cat naps and eating. I think we are over the Southern part of Britannia in a part of the country called Texas. And we are going to the Northern California Range," Aaron said relaxing.

"So why are you looking for Lelouch Lamperouge?" she asked

"I am not so much looking for him but for his companion and what he carries. I need it, for seven years I have searched for it, the missing code," Aaron stated his eyes closing.

"Missing code?" Aaron opened an eye gazing at Hannah who sat at the edge of her seat her gaze attentive on Aaron.

"In order to have Geass you have to be bestowed it by a Code bearer. The Code is the fully activated awareness of Geass that gives the bearer immortality, immunity to Geass, and access to a world of consciousness called c's world. The longest surviving code bearer is the witch C.C. There has always been at least one other the last known carrier was named V.V. and then rumor was the 98th emperor had received it before being killed by Lelouch hence it became the missing code. I have been in search of C.C. and the missing code for many years trying to track the witch down until recently I learned that Lelouch was alive and must have the missing code considering he was supposed to have died at Suzaku's hands," Aaron explained.

"Wait, Suzaku died long before Lelouch, by a couple months. How could Suzaku kill Lelouch, unless Suzaku never died and, oh that's good, the one capable of being Zero taking out the real Zero and saving to world, so that's how it went," Hannah said finally coming to an understanding her voice light with euphoria. Nodding to herself she pursed her lips and looked at Aaron her tone now serious and demanding from the boy, "So you want this missing code to make you immortal?"

Aaron opened his eyes, a weariness of years beyond the boys had him as he glanced out the window, "no, I have no use for the code."

Hannah saw that there was someone there and she leaned forward waiting for him to answer.

"So are you hungry, they have some ravioli meals and I think I left a packet of instant sushi," Aaron said smiling trying to divert her attention.

"Aaron, who is the code for?" she asked.

"Not hungry I guess," his smile faded slowly.

"Who is the code for?" Hannah said again her gaze locking with the boy.

"It is for Bethany. My sister Bethany, she is dying," Aaron said pitifully, mad that he allowed himself to speak of her.

"Of what?" she asked pressing harder.

"From what?" Aaron corrected, "from Geass."

* * *

**Author: So who thought Aaron was dead and gone?**

**Hannah: I did. (raises hand sheepishly)**

**Author: Come on he is so cute to kill off.**

**Aaron: Yeah, yeah. That isn't what you said a few days ago.**

**Hannah: What?**

**Author&Aaron: Nothing**

**Author: So comment I would like to know your thoughts because I am not sure which way I want to take this.**


	9. Chapter 9

_**Disclaimer: I do not own in any part Code Geass or any of it's Characters.**_

_**Sorry it took me so long, believe it or not I got stuck at the end with Suzaku/ Schneizle encounter. Plus RL took over a little, but anyways here is the next chapter.**_

* * *

_It is the year 2028 it has been ten years since Britannia's tyrant 99__th__ emperor Lelouch died at Zero's hands. The progress of the world has gone from one of grudging hate between peoples of different nationalities, races, and religions to one that has new found respect between people with great differences and works around them. This great age is led by Britannia's Empress Nunnally "The Innocent", Zero, the leader of the Black Knights, Prince Schneizle of Britannia, and Empress Tianzi of the Chinese Federation among others._

**Chapter 9**

Lelouch sat on the front of the car looking out over the lake before him. C.C. was nowhere to be seen and he had no intention to go looking for the woman. Instead he gazed at the landscape about him, the water was so clear the bottom several hundred feet down could be seen and at a distance the sky was reflected on the surface mirroring. This was the where the city Pendragon had once been, now it was an international park that pilgrims came to pay their respects to the dead from the War of Succession, the war between Schneizle and himself ten years before.

Lelouch had never felt such anger as he had when Pendragon had been destroyed, his plans had almost been destroyed in the process of Schneizle destroying Britannia's capital but everything had turned out almost better this way. His massive Geass uses had been obliterated with the use of the F.L.E.I.G.H. warheads and the rest had been dispelled at his request by Jeremiah. He had requested that Jeremiah reveal everything to a dispelled Schneizle after Suzaku was instilled as the sword of the UFN as was proper.

"Yes, everything is as it should be," he said closing his eyes and leaning against the hood feeling the warm sun on his face.

"Not quite, after all you were supposed to die," C.C. said appearing out of no where.

"How long will it take me before I can come and go like you do?" he asked her cracking his eyes open and looking at her.

"Another century at least, I finally have you up to running two miles in ten minutes, when I found you it would have taken a miracle to get you to finish at least half a lap. Though I think Suzaku gave you a good work out with the mask a few times," C.C. teased.

"That was another life, this is the new. Haven't you tried to change yourself every time you regain life when you should have died?" Lelouch said not expecting an answer from the immortal witch.

"You die a dozen times in a day and lets see you change your goal in life," she said poking him and he reacted by grabbing her hand and attempting to twist it behind her back. She smiled and in a moment of tussle she was sitting atop his back his arms pinned to his sides and his face in the dirt.

"Haven't I taught you anything? Do I have to send you back to basic training if you can't even defend yourself from a poke?" she said reprimanding.

"Well, you have centuries on me and considering the material you started out with," he said he flexed his muscles and in a few seconds he had dislodged her and they were grappling on the hood of the car. Suddenly a security bird bot flew overhead squawking, "Citizen is there a problem? A Security Officer is on the way." It hovered over them ready to apply force if they did not stop.

"Its fine," they chorused at the electronic bird bot that hovered above them.

"A Security Officer is on the way, please refrain from physical contact until an officer arrives," the bird squawked and C.C. glared at it.

"I remember when a punch and fight would have been ignored, especially when a man was disciplining a woman. I guess times have changed," she said dropping Lelouch's arms, walking around the car, she reached in picking up cheese-kun, turned and promptly fell into the back seat without a word.

Lelouch stretched and glanced at the bird bot annoyed. It would be attached to them until an officer had seen them and made it ok. This was not the first one they had ever had to deal with; and they had learned in the past it was better to sit still until they had the misunderstanding taken care of and the bot programmed to ignore them.

"Remember when we sat here contemplating the end?" he asked innocently.

"He was with us then, now only a few know of us," she replied happily, as if she would rather to be unseen than remember the past. They sat waiting for five minutes until a hovercycle, pulled up and a park officer stepped out and in a matter of moments everything was sorted. ID's were shown and the bot was registered with their identities and given orders to ignore them.

"You should call Jeremiah and explain the reason why you left before the week is out. Today would be good, but I am not your mother to tell you what to do," C.C. said as she pet cheese-kun as she had never gotten out of the convertible.

"Alright, I will call Jeremiah," Lelouch sighed and fished in his pocket for a phone. He plugged in a device before dialing a number and waited a few minutes before someone picked up the line.

"Ah, Anya. Do you have a way to get in touch with Jeremiah?" he asked waiting for her response.

"He is?" he answered something that she said.

"Ok," Lelouch swallowed and walked around the car to C.C. and turned on the speaker phone.

"We both can hear you," Lelouch said causing C.C. to sit up confused.

"Code Bearers, I greet you. Jeremiah is safe Lelouch," the voice spoke.

"Aaron," C.C. said as she righted herself and coming closer to the phone.

"Yes, it is I and Hannah Yoshikawa as well. It seems that I missed you by a day but I can guess where you are now. You are somewhere by Pendragon Lake are you not? It is a lovely time of year, especially for a pilgrimage to the site to pay respects to the dead," the boy spoke causing Lelouch to shiver.

"How does he know where we are?" Lelouch thought to himself, his eyes wide in surprise as C.C. sat on her knees staring at the phone her face blank as it did when she was thinking.

"You must be asking how I know where you are? Anya was kind enough to let me examine her mind and from her I found a memory of you two saying you were going to the lake, that you like to go before the memorials pack the park. You let it slip every year for five years, I am surprised C.C. didn't reprimand you for letting it slip," Aaron said.

"How did you?" Lelouch began.

"Geass of Absolute Knowledge; I know everything there is to know about a person from their first memories, to the latest, Dreams, fears, false memories, anything and everything. I know many things, did you know that Suzaku had thought that he wanted to marry Euphemia when she told him that she had relinquished all claims on the throne? Did you know that Kallen Kouzuki still pines for you at night? You Lelouch have actually become an accomplished martial artist compared to your younger years, by the way I enjoyed your book, "Black Knights: From the shadows", I don't know how anyone didn't realize that it was in fact Zero who had written it but then," Aaron accentuating the words making Lelouch's spine tingle.

"What do you want?" Lelouch said nodding to C.C. telling her to get into the driver's seat. He himself jumped into the passenger seat tucking cheese-kun under his feet.

"Simple, your code, an ending to Geass, it won't end any other way will it C.C. Oh, by the way I met your daughter C.C. Sweet woman, so sorry that she died, but after all she was a hundred and seven years-old," C.C. stopped blanching at Aaron's words her hand on the starter.

Lelouch looked up surprised, "Daughter?"

"Oh, did she never tell you about her daughter. It was much easier to find your past relations than you C.C. after all Maria was the only Geass user to not want to end her Geass and live to a ripe old age. Or did you not think her able to handle the code, just as you thought that no one else could? Or…," Aaron was interrupted by the sound of an engine.

"Leaving already? Why don't you stick around?" with that a bird bot fluttered down and sat between them on the dash its lens training on both of them.

"You hacked the security," Lelouch said a tinge of approval in his voice.

"What is hacking when you have all the passcodes? I must t hank you though for creating a scene earlier, I wouldn't have found that you were right there if you hadn't. I know where you are so stay," Aaron said.

C.C. gunned the engine and Lelouch tackled the bot in seconds it was shut down and tossed aside and Aaron was staring at a blank screen but the nearest bot wasn't fast enough to find them. He set an automatic search for the make, model and license information he had originally observed.

* * *

Aaron sat back in the chair and turned as he heard Hannah walking in shaking a bottle of medicine. He rubbed his temples he reached out his hand when she came closer. "This is all I could find, plain aspirin. Find them?" she asked looking at the computers.

"This will work," Aaron said shaking out two pills and swallowing them dry.

"Don't take too much, aspirin can hurt you, you know," Hannah said.

"It's fine," Aaron said pocketing the bottle and proceeding to rub his temples. "They were at the lake, probably paying their own respects to Pendragon or something. The information I have is based off of Anya and Jeremiah, which isn't much, they were good about not revealing much about their intentions," Aaron said going back to manipulating the computers.

"So how are we going to catch up with them," Hannah asked as she watched images flash across the screen.

"We will let them come to us, besides I think it is time for the empress to know that her dearest brother still lives," Aaron said pulling up the footage, playing a segment he smiled adding the time, date and location stamp to the video and in a matter of moments had it in a message addressed to several email accounts.

"If the hunt for Lelouch doesn't begin with the empress then I will take Geass public," Aaron said with determination that frightened Hannah but she remembered his confidence that he was trying to save his sister and left her judgments lie to the side.

* * *

Suzaku slumped into a chair at a computer, his mouth hanging wide his Zero mask having fallen out of his hand and was being currently being rolled around the room by his kitten Guinevere, he was in shock as he watched in horror the images being replayed over and over.

"_Leaving already? Why don't you stick around?" with that a bird bot fluttered down and sat between them on the dash its lens training on both of them._

"_You hacked the security," Lelouch said a tinge of approval in his voice._

"_What is hacking when you have all the passcodes? I must t hank you though for creating a scene earlier, I wouldn't have found that you were right there if you hadn't. I know where you are so stay," Aaron said_.

It was very recent and Suzaku knew it was, the time stamp was for that morning and he recognized the scenery having visited there quite often in the past ten years. A region of Pendragon Lake that few went to, a beep at his door sounded, he could not answer until finally Kanon at Schneizle's request overrode the security and entered Zero's chambers to find Suzaku in shock.

"Are you hurt," Schneizle asked coming over to Suzaku, _"Leaving already? Why don't you stick around?"_ Aaron's voice was heard in the room making Schneizle wary, and then he stopped shocked when he heard the next voice.

"_You hacked the security,"_ Lelouch's voice a bolt of thunder in the silence.

"_What is hacking when you have all the passcodes? I must thank you though for creating a scene earlier, I wouldn't have found that you were right there if you hadn't. I know where you are so stay," _Aaron's voice ended the sequence with a close up of Lelouch reaching and grabbing the bird bot before the video rewound and played again.

"Is that Lelouch?" Kanon asked uncertain wanting to break the shocked silence.

"He… he… I mean…. They both… Lelouch is alive?" Suzaku asked looking at Schneizle for confirmation or denial but only found the other man in just as much shock at the development.

"Who else received a copy of this," Schneizle asked him mind working disjointedly.

"I think Nunnally did, and a few others, Kallen, and Ohgi, and… and… Lelouch is alive," Suzaku said as if speaking it lifted a spell placed over him, his eyes teared up as he gazed at his friend's youthful face.

"It seems we have found the boy Aaron alive as well," Schneizle said taking a seat as his knees gave out on him.

"Yes it seems that Jeremiah's transport never landed at it designated point enrooted but continued on to California where the pilots swear the boy threatened them with exposure if they did not follow his instructions to exactness.

"So he escaped to give us this little video, or what is going on?" Suzaku asked unsure of his course of action.

"I think it is safe to assume that the boy Aaron is after Lelouch and he came to us as a means to an end and found a connection to prey," Schneizle surmised as Kanon came and examined the video Suzaku received from an anonymous provider that they all assumed came from Aaron.

The com beeped and Nunnally came on the line, "Suzaku, is it true? Is my brother alive?" that was all she had to say. After watching Suzaku's face she realized it to be true.

"So you did not know either. Does Schneizle know?" she asked unable to see her half brother.

"I just learned that Lelouch still lives a few minutes ago. Just like yourself your highness," Schneizle bowed entering the frame behind Suzaku making Nunnally start.

"So this is all in recent development then," she said after a moment of hesitation as if her feelings were about to come pouring out in a rush.

"Yes, it appears that a vagrant Geass user is running amok across the globe in a single minded pursuit of Lelouch. For what purpose we have not yet surmised," Schneizle said.

"As the leader of Britannia, a friend, and an agent against Geass, I humbly ask that you use all your might to find and capture this Geass user and the two code bearers. I will bring this up in the committee, disclosing the information about Geass to those who know about it," Nunnally spoke as if giving an order but knew she had no authority over the men on the other end of the video.

"Our main goal is to track down this Aaron and every last vestige of Geass, even if it means turning on old friends," Suzaku said his voice hardened.

"Very well," Nunnally said nodding and raised her head as a knock was heard. "And Suzaku, if you see my brother tell him I love him and then hit him for me," Nunnally said swallowing.

"I will give him a double dose of a beating then," Suzaku said making Nunnally laugh at the thought before turning off the video feed.

"So where did this email feed come from?" Suzaku asked.

"It is stamped to be from Gottwold's home, so that must be where the Geass user is," Schneizle said looking at the email.

"Doesn't this area look familiar?" Suzaku asked pointing at the scenery.

"Yes, actually it does it looks like… That is Pendragon Lake, it has to be the south side, that was where the royal forest was and most tourists stay away but it is secluded," Schneizle said surprised as he realized the place.

"The video footage was taken only an hour or two ago, the vehicle looks like an old pre-sakuradite model but what kind I do not know," Suzaku said calling on his memory of old cars.

"Kanon, pull all Britannian vehicle records for pre-sakuradite models it probably is converted since fossil fuels were outlawed in 2022 by the UFN," Schneizle said.

"Yes, your highness," and Kanon turned on his heel leaving the two men at their own disposal.

"Schneizle, I can't sit here not knowing, may I…" Suzaku began to speak.

"No you cannot go running off on your own after Lelouch! You still have duties here and besides I do not think it wise for you to be running around Britannia with Zero's Knightmare looking for the ghost of a man and his witch," Schneizle interrupted Suzaku leaving him open mouthed in wonder at how the other man knew what he was going to say.

"How did you know?" Suzaku asked.

"After twelve years of watching you run around, with Euphemia, going after Zero and Lelouch, and spending the last decade dictating the policies for the Black Knights. Let us say that I have you figured out," Schneizle said as he pulled out his agenda, "so let us begin the meeting. The Somalian dignitaries wish to…" Schneizle began to tell Suzaku everything he needed to know much to her consternation.

* * *

**Aaron: So you FINALLY finished the chapter! (glares at author)**

**Author: Yes I did. (happy go lucky)  
**

**Suzaku: Finally I am not hanging midsentence anymore. Do you know how tiring to have your mouth open on a syllable for five months is?**

**Hannah: Tell me about it.**

**Author: Sorry, I really am. (bows profusely)  
**

**Aaron: (touches author) No your not. We all know you were paying attention to 'other' things.**

**Author: I wasn't I swear…. *Dmn you and your geass***

**Lelouch: So will C.C. and I finally have regular rolls and not hanging in the background?**

**Suzaku: Will I finally get to beat the crap out of Lelouch?**

**Hannah: Will I get my story?**

**Aaron: Will I save my sister?**

**Author: Enough. (exasperated) Yes, most likely, definatly, You already know the answer so why ask. (breathes deeply) Comment and give me your thoughts, it is really getting harder to write at this point.**


	10. Chapter 10

_**Disclaimer: I do not own in any part Code Geass or any of it's Characters.**_

* * *

_It is the year 2028 it has been ten years since Britannia's tyrant 99__th__ emperor Lelouch died at Zero's hands. The progress of the world has gone from one of grudging hate between peoples of different nationalities, races, and religions to one that has new found respect between people with great differences and works around them. This great age is led by Britannia's Empress Nunnally "The Innocent", Zero, the leader of the Black Knights, Prince Schneizle of Britannia, and Empress Tianzi of the Chinese Federation among others._

* * *

Lelouch and C.C. pulled up to an old diner they frequented every time they drove through the area. Lelouch liked it because it was far removed, C.C. found their pizza to be very good. After sitting in the car for a few minutes they grudgingly got out of the car and entered the door. Their eyes adjusting to the dark interior but Lelouch automatically cringed when he heard his name but after a moment realized that it was the television.

"Well good afternoon, is that Lincoln and Calli, well haven't seen you two in a few months how have you been?" A lady asked from the counter a rag in her hand as she wiped the counter.

"Fine, how have you been Candace?" Lelouch said relaxing as they made it to the counter and sat.

"Lou a C Pizza and a Burger meal for Lincoln, our best traveling guests are back," she called in through the window at the chef in back who poked his head out.

"Hey how you been?" the chef called.

"Great! I have been really missing your pizza," C.C. replied as she reached for the drink Candace placed before her sucking down the contents without a breath.

"Still can't find anything better?" Lou said.

"Not this side of Britannia," she said and Lelouch smiled hiding a laugh.

"So what is the program about?" Lelouch asked Candace.

"Oh, some Japanese reporter released a new article about the origins of Zero and the whole world has been in a frenzy about it. That the original Zero may have been Lelouch vi Britannia, if it was it would create a huge scandal, the Black Knights have yet to reply to the accusation but it is only a matter of time before they do. Hmmm, you ever been told you look like him?" Candace said looking Lelouch over.

"Like who?" he asked warily.

"The tyrant emperor Lelouch," she said and he choked on his drink causing her to throw her rag at him so he could wipe up the mess.

"Sorry, but I couldn't possibly be anything like him, after all I was ten when he died," Lelouch said and with the logic presented persuaded her differently.

"Ok, well I guess you haven't seen it then, here is the magazine the article was printed in," Candace said as she pulled a magazine from beneath the register and handed it to him and Lelouch had to hide his shock at the front cover before opening it to the article and began to read.

"So, what does it say?" C.C. asked when Candace went out of earshot.

"It is an abridged version of twelve years ago sans Geass. Though it feels like someone took the notes and cobbled this together and not an actual researcher who understands the implications written. Though it does hit on some of the critical points; hey there you are," Lelouch said with a laugh pointing out a picture of green haired C.C. standing off to the side while Zero was talking to Li Xin-ke, Tianzi, and Kaguya.

"Hmm, oh when was this?" she asked looking at the picture.

"right after the wedding, one of the recruits was forever taking pictures, I managed to get my hands on them and most of them I used in my book about the Black Knights," he said taking back the magazine and reading the rest of the article.

"Here Lincoln, your dinner, Calli, your pizza will be out in a minute," Candace said delivering the plate to them.

"_We bring you this late breaking story. The Britannian government is currently in pursuit of two fugitives who are suspected in acts terrorism against Brittania. They are considered highly dangerous and to proceed with caution. The government has released their pictures, and their code names are C.C. and L.L. though they may have other aliases. Again approach them with caution and call the authorities about their whereabouts for they are very dangerous," _Lelouch looked up his first bite of burger half chewed as he watched the TV. incredulity on his face as he caught the images of him and C.C. on the TV. before the news reporter pulled back warning the public about them.

He saw Candace quickly walk away and gulping he nudged C.C. gesturing that they should leave. She glared daggers at him but he shook it off grabbed her arm pulling her off the stool and dragging her to the door. Just as the bell rang he heard Candace whispering loudly into a phone, "Yes, the fugitives on the news, they are here. Lou's diner at Broken Bend in the Imperial district; we are fifty kilometers from Pendragon Memorial. Yes, we will try to keep them here, yes, Lincoln and Calli, they are driving a 2000 blue convertible Mustang. I don't know the registration, HEY WAIT YOU HAVE TO PAY FOR YOUR MEAL!" she cried as she finally realized that they were running to the car Lelouch jumped the side into the driver's seat and C.C. jumped in the back and clutched Cheese-kun as the car spun out of the parking lot and onto the road.

After a moment C.C. jumped into the passenger seat and buckled up. "So who put that bulletin out?" she asked as she turned on the radio fiddling with the dial landing on the news.

"I do not think it was the Geass user, he should not have the means to manipulate the government bureaus like that. If he wanted our codes he would have trouble getting out after he took them for whatever reason," Lelouch said his brain running on overtime as he sped down the road trying to think of how to ditch the car and hide their faces.

"We cannot go back to the Gottwold's," C.C. said looking bummed.

"Yes, who else can we get a car off of," Lelouch said thinking as he shifted gears, "hang on," he said as he spun the wheel taking them on a dirt and gravel path heading into the undergrowth.

"Cecil's garage is a few hours away," C.C. said and Lelouch groaned, "but that is the closest person who could help us," she continued and he groaned louder.

"What? She can get us a new vehicle and hide us for a time," C.C. said trying to think why Lelouch would not want to go to their only hope.

"Remember her cooking!" was all he said and after a moment C.C.'s face reflected Lelouch's grimness.

"Oh right," she said and they drove in silence with Lelouch breaking it with a curse.

"Damn, we have to go. There is no one else… thank god we are immortal or we could perish," Lelouch said softly that C.C. could barely understand him, it took a moment but she smiled at the attempt of humor.

They drove taking it slow and avoiding the main throughways. Several times they had to drive off the road and hide in the brush but just after dusk they made it to the town where Cecile's workshop was. It was a large junkyard with dozens of old Knightmare frames littering the compound and a huge warehouse with a side house attached. There were lights coming from the windows and as they pulled up a light went off and everything went quite.

Lelouch went slowly up to the door and rang the bell relaxing when he heard footsteps, someone looked through the door as a light came on momentarily blinding him and the door opened. The next thing he knew there was a loud crack of a gun and then blackness.

C.C. came up carrying the bags and kicked Lelouch laying on the pavement with a pool of blood beneath his head and a hole between his eyes as he looked up sightlessly into the sky. "Nice shot Nina," C.C. complemented as the green haired genius lowered a smoking antique gun to Lelouch, cocking back the hammer she unloaded it into Lelouch's unmoving body.

"That always feels good," she said as she put the gun on a table just inside the door and came out to hug C.C. and grab a bag.

"You should tell him that you are no longer mad at him and this is just your way to mess with him," C.C. said more as a suggestion which made Nina look at C.C. with a weird look before both woman began laughing that both knew that C.C. was not serious and Nina would never tell Lelouch.

Lelouch groaned as he foot twitched and his eyes fluttered. "Damn, why do you do that every time we see each other now?" he asked as he brought a hand up to his head wiping the blood from his brow. "Damn I really liked this outfit," he said as he sat up and took stock of what Nina did to him.

"You deserve every damn bullet; especially since your little secret has been released to everyone who did not know, in the attempt to flush you into the open by whoever you have pissed off this time," Nina said as she shut the door in Lelouch's face who sighed and opened the door for himself after hacking the door code. By then C.C. and Nina were heading in back to the workshop where they heard some heavy machinery in operation.

Lelouch sighed as he entered and ducked as some machinery flew above his head. At the controls of the crane that had nearly taken his immortal head off was a child of about eight with light blue hair, she sat in Cecile's lap as she manipulated the controls with expert precision. Lelouch sighed as he passed the equipment lettered around catching up with Nina who had sat at a computer console tucked away in safety from the hazardous equipment.

"So this theory of cold fusion uses iridium in a cold environment of negative 307 degrees under intense pressure. When you introduce high speed molecules of hydrogen it should fuse creating a nuclear energy source to power a Knightmare for five years or a city of five billion for one. I am still in the theoretical stages but hopefully I will be ready begin creating a containment field, oh Lelouch, I will need your brain for calculations when it is time for the practical applications, and hopefully if everything works out it will be a replacement for Sakuradite in the next ten years," Nina explained to C.C. as Lelouch glanced over her shoulder at the computer model.

"Umm, Nina you forgot to include the impact of Neutrino's on such an environment," Lelouch said with a smile and Nina cursed vividly forgetting a child was in the vicinity and began to reread her notes before stopping and turning glaring at Lelouch, "Neutrino's do not react with anything, Lelouch I should have hit you with Cecile's shotgun," and Nina turned fixing her calculations fuming as Lelouch laughed. The heard a crash and then the crane powered down, the only thing anyone heard was Nina furiously typing away on her keyboard.

"Oh, hey you two. If I had known you were coming I would have made something to welcome you, maybe some seaweed cookies," everyone shivered.

"Mommy, what about the trout cookies you made me last night?" the little girl asked and Cecile thought a moment. C.C. and Lelouch held their breathes scared and Nina trembled.

"Yes, come on into the kitchen while I get the left over cookies and some milk. You want anything Nina?" Cecile asked.

"Really Cecile you do not have too," Lelouch tried to stop the woman.

"But Uncle Lelouch, mommy's trout cookies are the best. Even daddy eats them," the little girl said in a way that made Lelouch said and his shoulders fell in defeat.

"I will try your mom's trout cookies Lila," he said making the little girl grin bearing her missing teeth and she took off ahead of her mother who was washing the grease from her hands.

"How bad are the trout cookies?" C.C. asked Nina and Nina whispered something Lelouch did not hear.

Together both code bearers walked as if to the gallows that was the kitchen and surely poisonous food that might even kill them.

* * *

Suzaku sat at the conference table with Schneizle across from him and between them on either end of the table were two Somalian dignitaries, the president and the head of the rebel faction.

"I will not have my clan's honor degraded to that of a common grave digger by the government's policies," the clan head screamed across the table, standing and planting his fist into the table making Suzaku very glad that it was very secure.

"In a democracy all people are equal, I am not saying give up all your lands and titles but leave off the royalty aspect and agree with the other clan on land claims. We are trying to make a better country and trying to make it prosperous, your clan is the only one that has not signed the peace accords," the president shouted back but he remained seated not that Suzaku could see how he could stand like the clan head being five hundred pounds and all. They had to bring in a special seat just for this meeting.

Suzaku was getting weary from this heated debate between the factions and was wondering when Schneizle would end it and propose the cease fire both sides would like. He knew Schneizle liked to play both sides but this was getting ridiculous and he could not see why his presence would lend to anything that either side would enjoy besides a military presence as a threat to keep hands to themselves.

"We will not give up our ancestral lands just so our enemies can come in and piss on my ancestors graves whenever they want. Besides all lands we own were paid for in the sweet and blood of our clansmen for generations. Why would we give up what we have fought so hard to gain," the clan head screamed his fist coming down onto the table again and Suzaku swore that there was a fist shaped dent there.

"It is only fair if you rescind your claims on certain lands. Return some lands back to their original owners or let it be controlled by the state as public lands. We are trying to make our country great, a place all our people could be proud of being a part of not a collection of bickering clans like you are trying to enforce," the president countered his voice rising and sweat beading on his brow. Suzaku wished he could rub his headache away but could not unless he took off the Zero mask and as he was playing Zero he could not compromise his position.

"No. That land is ours, there is no way," the clan head began.

"What of the people, who live on the land, are they beholden to you or to the government? Do they become your private army which does not allow us," the president interrupted and then he himself was interrupted.

"They are scum who just moved in you can take them off our lands," the clan head screamed.

"No, those people have more claim than you. They are; the ones who work that land, if they leave who will prosper, no one so you need to return that land," the president began screaming his dark skin going darker and Suzaku swore that he was red.

"Ok Schneizle anytime now, the president of Somalia looks like he is about to have a heart attack," Suzaku thought keeping his hands from tapping from impatience on the countertop.

"You do not understand the needs of my clan," the clan head bellowed.

"But the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few," the president countered.

"Gentlemen, please calm down. After hearing both sides I think I have come up with a solution that both sides will agree upon," Schneizle entered the conversation that caused the president to look at the ex-prince to look at him in wonder and the clan head was perplexed but he slowly sat waiting for the blonde regal man to continue.

Kanon stepped up and handed each man a folder, both slowly opened them and began slowly reading the contents. Suzaku smiled as he felt the chips fall into Schneizle's lap and that the proceedings would end soon. After ten years of peacekeeping with Schneizle, Suzaku knew the man's ways as well as Kanon who was the only one to be with Schneizle the longest.

Suzaku smiled when both looked up with sighs of compromise and soon they both signed and Kanon was escorting them out to their respective transports. Suzaku sighed and leaned back in his chair after everyone but Schneizle left and Schneizle was looking at some other files.

"So after the transports are away we have been ordered by request of the UFN to track down the Geass user and if we find Lelouch and C.C. that would be all the better," Schneizle said and Suzaku sat up straighter and Schneizle knew that the younger man was excited about the hunt.

"So do we have any leads as to their whereabouts?" Suzaku asked excited that they were leaving the boring politics behind.

"We are beginning our search in California where the transport was last known to be. We had a report just south of Pendragon Memorial park of a sighting of Lelouch and C.C. As such I have authorized a small team to investigate but under the guise of taking your Knightmare for upgrades. You will have Lloyd and Kallen has been called in as your body guard. She will join you there and be reunited with the Guren. Cecile will finish computer checks on both machines and then you will continue your hunt of Lelouch and C.C. Do you understand?" Schneizle said and Suzaku nodded bubbling with anticipation as both men stood and Suzaku left heading for his chambers to pack. He needed to make sure that everything was in order and had to call Lloyd to have him let Cecile know that they were on their way, but then decided to let it be a surprise as Lloyd had not seen Cecile in a few months and the excitement might just move the man to do something he would regret doing, making Cecile mad at him. At the end of the day Suzaku fell into his bed dreaming of happier days and delivering a punch to Lelouch that would make up for the ten years of grief he had spent.

**Author: Yay C.C. and Lelouch are back in an official capacity, I actually almost made the entire chapter about them and then realized, "no I had to include other character reactions."**

**Lelouch: where did the trout cookies come from?**

**Author: My proverbial but. But its funny right?**

**(crickets)**

**Author: your no fun…..**

**C.C.: I liked the fact that Nina shot the hell out of him.**

**Lelouch: say that to my face witch!**

**C.C.: I thought Nina made a great point shooting your brains out.**

**Author: um guys?**

**Lelouch: Yeah all over the street and I guess I will be the one sent out to clean it up.**

**C.C.: good you need to pick up after your messes.**

**Author: guys? *watches as the two code bearers star a long fight* sorry, please let me know what you think and to be honest I am kinda stuck at this juncture. Sooo review and help!**


	11. Chapter 11

_**Disclaimer: I do not own in any part Code Geass or any of it's Characters.**_

* * *

_It is the year 2028 it has been ten years since Britannia's tyrant 99__th__ emperor Lelouch died at Zero's hands. The progress of the world has gone from one of grudging hate between peoples of different nationalities, races, and religions to one that has new found respect between people with great differences and works around them. This great age is led by Britannia's Empress Nunnally "The Innocent", Zero, the leader of the Black Knights, Prince Schneizle of Britannia, and Empress Tianzi of the Chinese Federation among others._

Hannah sat in the driver's seat of a stolen vehicle as Aaron sat in the passenger seat. She had slowly watched as the boy fell into unconsciousness after swallowing some aspirin dry. They had not stayed at Jeremiah's home long and had left the two tied in their living room chairs. Jeremiah had been kept sedated the entire time in fear that if he woke he would use his anti-geass again and cause Aaron to go comatose. Anya assured them that someone would come looking for them in a few hours if they did not show up in the fields and by that time the two fugitives would be far enough away.

Hannah relaxed with Anya's assurances and Aaron just grunted, although he disliked killing especially by the use of his hands. Memories of a multiple people were enough that he did not need the memories of death. Hannah also could not abide killing anyone and Aaron respected her wish. They had taken their commandeered vehicle they had taken from the airport's long term parking assured they had two weeks on the vehicle until it was reported stolen.

Hannah was glad that Aaron had fallen into a natural sleep she was not an expert on psychology but knew that the boy had a great deal of mental stress. Plus in sleep was the only time he looked like a truly normal teenager. His black hair had been braided and it hung over his shoulder. The shirt he wore was a little big but it clung to his slim chest showing that he was truly a guy and his jeans were ragged.

Hannah turned on the radio finding a nice classical channel that would hopefully not wake the boy beside her.

Sighing she just drove them east along the highway. Right now she was a regular person driving down the road traveling to some unknown destination with a boy that could easily be her little brother.; A road trip into the unknown. Yes, just leaving behind the past and looking forward to the future, at least for a few hours until the harsh bite of reality returned.

Hannah had not gotten much out of Aaron after he sent his messages to various people around the globe all of which she was sure were about to receive a shock unless they knew about Lelouch already but then Aaron assured her that not many people knew of Lelouch. She had managed to create a lunch box for them and borrowed some of Anya's clothes and some other clothes from a guest closet that Aaron laughed at but would not share the joke. Anya told her that there was some camping gear in the closet under the stairs that she could take. Anya did not blame her for anything and just settled in asking for the tv remote so she would not be too bored waiting for help to come.

It was nighttime before Aaron woke up looking about in the darkness trying to figure out where they were. "Where are we?" he asked yawning and surprised when Hannah handed him a bottle of water and Excedrin which he accepted both gladely but left the medicine unopened on his lap and just drained the bottle of water.

"We are in Northern Arizona near the Grand Canyon. Pendragon Memorial is about five hours drive from here," she said as Aaron just gazed out at the dark landscape.

"Wow, you must have flown to come so far," he said but Hannah shrugged as she eased off the highway at a rest area. She figured that Aaron would need to stretch her legs and she knew that she needed one and some good food too.

"No, you were just out of it, Imperial Burger sound good?" she asked, "Or do you want McCliff?" she added as she saw the other restaurant, its neon lights blaring through the darkness.

"Your choice, I do not care," he said as he turned in his seat looking for another bottle of water turning as he cracked another seal and drained the second bottle as she pulled up into a parking space. Turning off the engine, she stepped out of the vehicle stretching and yawning. Glad to be out of the car, she glanced back in and saw Aaron yawning; he had a bag in his lap she recognized as the cosmetic bag. Aaron was brushing his hair and pulling it back into two high ponytails giving him that more effeminate look that she had first seen him with. Smiling to herself she straightened as he glanced over zipping the bag close and taking out two Excedrin and popping the pills before exiting the car. Hannah closed her door just before Aaron closed his and hitting a button on the electronic lock locked the car and they went in to order.

In minutes they had ordered, Hannah did not need much especially since she had snacked along the way on the now non-existent granola bars; though her eyes went wide when Aaron ordered a huge amount, three very large burgers, a large fry, a large drink, and dessert.

"Are you sure you are going to eat all of that?" she asked as she handed over the cash.

"yes, I need the caloric intake and plus I am still growing," Aaron said throwing his long locks back over his shoulder as the male order taker raked his eyes down Aaron.

"Back up bucko, I am a guy," Aaron said to the man whose own eyes bugged at Aaron's statement and with hushed apologies went to fill the order as the two travelers took a step back waiting. They had their food quickly and they went to sit outside.

"You know, if you are annoyed about people mistaking you for a girl, why don't you cut your hair?" Hannah asked just as Aaron took a massive bite from his first hamburger. He paused thinking, then he quickly chewed and sat back as Hannah slowly ate her own food.

"It is not that I do not want to, but I made a promise to someone that I never would. I do not remember who it was, not my sister, she always hated that my hair was always so pretty but someone else and I can never remember who it was," Aaron said and Hannah read a note of sadness from him as for all his gift, all the lives he had overtaken he could not recall this one person who had made him promise to never cut his hair.

"So it must have been someone very close to you for you to follow her advice," Hannah commented watching the boy as he ate through his tray of food. Slowly chewing her own she watched as he had finished off his final burger just as she had gone through half of hers.

"How can you eat all that and still be so graceful? Not to mention stay so thin?" she asked amazed as Aaron began to eat his fries after drinking a draft of his drink.

"You forget I have the memories of hundreds of people and their experiences. Plus I have a fast metabolism, not to mention I am a guy," he said after swallowing and then began to attack his fries again.

"Why is it so unfair, that guys can eat so much and stay so thin," Hannah cursed beneath her breath out of annoyance before finishing off her burger in silence.

"I have a great deal of knowledge but I do not even know the answer to that question, just as I do not know how Geass came about," he said making Hannah to roll her eyes at the now familiar phrase. It seemed whenever she had a question that he could not answer that is what she told her when it would have been easier for him to say 'I don't know'.

"So where to after we get to the park?" she asked as he stretched and stood to throw away his trash as she just finished her own dinner.

"I am not sure, I need someplace to hook up to the internet so that I can track to see if there were any hits on the search. Thanks to the reward and bulletin on the news the Britannian's have made it easier for me to keep track of them, though it is also a trap for us that must be careful not to walk into," Aaron cautioned as he came back and took her tray and Hannah managed to rescue her drink before he stole that too. Standing and finishing off the drink Aaron raided her jacket pocket for the car keys and before she could protest walked away to the car unlocking it.

Rolling her eyes she threw the ice and cup away and got into the passenger side of the car, "Are you even allowed to drive yet?" she asked buckling up.

"I have the knowledge of…" Aaron began but was promptly cut off by Hannah who unfolded a map and turned on the light as she finished his sentence, "hundreds of people, the majority of which know how to drive. I know, I know but still it is odd to see a fifteen year old kid driving a car."

"By the way do you even need me to navigate, don't you have maps of the area downloaded into your brain?" she asked. In the wane light she saw him stiffen and turn red as he pulled out into traffic and then back on the highway.

" What, you do have an effective gps map in you brain, right?" she asked looking at him but he did not respond.

"I knew it, you do not know everything, you do not know how to navigate worth a damn do you?" she said laughing.

"Shut up, just because I cannot make sense of a map does not mean I cannot find my way around," he said his face beat red.

"So if the Black Knights ever want to take you down I just have to tell them to give you a map," she said teasing as she folded up the map and turning off the light. She felt smug that there was one thing that she could do better than him.

"I do not know why, only with directions, that are the only thing that is far beyond my grasp of understanding," he said shame in his voice.

"Don't worry about it, to be honest many people can't navigate, it isn't their fault it takes a bit of logic to it and not everyone can do it. If you were Einstein this would be your two colored socks," Hannah said reassuringly and she knew Aaron would feel better being compared to Einstein.

"Thank you," he said after a while. She had settled into her seat falling asleep so she almost missed it but she still answered, "Your welcome."

* * *

"Kallen, how are you?" Suzaku asked from across the cockpit, the red headed Japanese woman staring intently at him.

"I do not know, pissed, happy, mad, pissed, excited, pissed, oh did I mention pissed," she said her corner of the transport was covered in clouds of malevolence so that the other passengers shifted away from her. Their escort made a small squad of twelve and Suzaku was commander of it, though they did not know him as Suzaku, or Zero. His code name often times was Major Shinji Kenshin, it was obvious that it was not his real name but the soldiers were aware that they should not ask questions beyond their orders and they knew that Kallen Kouzuki knew Suzaku well enough that they knew what they were discussing. After eight hours trapped aboard the transport Suzaku could only spend so much time in the cargo hold with Lloyd fine tuning his Knightmare and when Lloyd turned his eyes to Kallen's machine he had sighed and retired to the flight section where he could get something to eat and maybe catch a nap but Kallen was sitting fuming in a corner over the report that Suzaku had passed out to the squad though Kallen was privy to the more intimate details as her clearance was only second to Suzaku's.

"I hope I never made you mad," he said sipping his tea relaxing into the chair wishing he had a pillow.

"No, it is this Aaron kid, C.C., and Lel…. Um, ah, L.L.," she corrected herself before she spoke Lelouch's name; it was a state secret that Lelouch was still alive though no one would believe that the young man on the wanted news reports of the past day or two was the same Lelouch Vi Britannia that almost ruled the world with an iron fist and died at Zero's hands.

"The kid because he walked into my home, ate My leftovers, ruined MY sleep, and STOLE MY KNIGHTMARE," Kallen said with ever increasing passion, "Then I am SUPREMELY mad at the OTHER TWO because they never had the decency to let me know they HAD NOT been killed ten years ago, FORCING ME to mourn for them when in reality they were probably just next to me," Kallen said her voice raising as she made her points and Suzaku flinched, he remembered that Kallen could get violent in fits of rage.

"Easy Kallen, do not get mad at me, save everything for the chase and the eventual beating we are going to give to them for making our recent and past live miserable," Suzaku said trying to calm Kallen. Kallen took a deep breath, sighed and looked out the window. Relaxing Suzaku became better acquainted with his seat and eventually fell into a light sleep.

Kallen watched as Suzaku fell easily into a light sleep, the creases in his forehead easing and the tension that he was always wearing melting away. She was not surprised at his tension, only aware on how much more he probably had since the Geass kid had shown up a week before. Sighing she stood and went to the self service station and made herself a cup of coffee. Those in the unit paid her no mind, they knew who she was and her reputation though she recognized none of them. She had been upset that she had been uprooted halfway through the semester and her students had been reassigned to other teachers and she had left half a stack of papers for her replacement.

Not sure what else to do she wandered the transport walking in on Lloyd tinkering with her machine causing her to sigh again with exasperation. Taking a long sip of coffee, she then went to look over the man's shoulder in hopes that he would not make too many changes to her machine. Between Rakshata, Lloyd and the occasional Cecile she had the best, besides Suzaku's, Knightmare in the world and she was always ecstatic to be allowed to pilot such a marvelous machine. Most days thoug she was trapped in one of the older model Guren's as her machine was always a year ahead of the current mass production types and they only make a dozen squads worth of the latest model units. These squads were the latest recruits and the squads were expected to be in rotation for a full four years before they were reassigned and given newer machines. Kallen had been teaching at the university specifically designed for those who wished to join the Black Knights and she taught battle tactics, hand to hand combat, among other topics to new recruits. She would have never thought that she would be a teacher, but it kept her on the cutting edge of the research and a hand in the mix whenever she got tired of teaching and wanted a field assignment; Though today was not one of the perks.

"Lloyd-sensei, Rakshata will begin the nickname again if you mess around with the machine anymore. You and she have already combed the entire machine to make sure that the boy Aaron had not done anything to the machine, it is fine," She pleaded wth the eccentric blue haired ex-lord.

"But I just want to tweek this and that," Lloyd begged crying as Kallen sadly dragged him away from the hold back to the passenger cabin where several of the squad snickered at the older man wailing.

"Here, sit I will get you something to eat and you are going to take a thirty minute break," Kallen said as she buckled Lloyd into the seat and confiscated his computer placing it in the seat across from Suzaku across the aisle, out of Lloyds hands. "Shhh, be quiet, he finally got to sleep so if you wake him I will make sure you never touch another Knightmare," Kallen hissed as Lloyd began to fuss.

"Fine, if you insist I will consume some form of edible food, as long as Cecile did not concoct it," Lloyd said with exasperation and slumped into his chair unable to get out of it. As she passed Suzaku to the service station she saw him smirking so she knew he had been woken up a little.

She retrieved a meal tray from a cupboard and in seconds had it cooked and was returning it to Lloyd with some silverware and allowed the man to eat as she took her seat across from Suzaku again relaxed finally and the silent conversations overtook the silence that had settled over them.

Sighing she turned back to the file to look over it again. It briefed her on Aaron and what the Black Knights knew of him. Her first order was to find and capture the boy.

Second, was Hannah Yoshikawa, a reporter for the JPN, she was one of their youngest reporters. Half Japanese, a quarter Britannian, and a quarter French, she had a dual citizenship to France and Japan. Her father's family was from Japan and it was in recent years that she had met with them, though she was at odds with her grandmother and cousins. Her mother's side of the family was very supportive of her career and path to move to Japan. For the past two years Hannah had been researching about the early Black Knights and Princess Euphemia; thinking that something scandalous had happened during that time. She was also ordered to find and capture the young journalist.

Finally, her orders were that if she came across the Geass Bearers Lelouch and C.C. they were to be taken into protective custody.

Lastly it detailed the strategies being taken to try and locate Lelouch and C.C. They hadbeen spotted at Pendragon Memorial and then a call had come in two hours south east from a small diner. They were driving an old model car and heading south. From across the country tips about the couple were coming in from restaurants, hotels, families, and a few miscellaneous businesses about them being regular customers.

Sighing she put the report down again and looked out the window seeing only white clouds. She wished they could have taken the Knightmares and not the transport but knew they could not have the support they needed in the search.

Glancing about the cabin she saw everyone relaxed, Suzaku slept soundly and Lloyd had actually dozed off, laughing to herself she stood and from her pack on the overhead rack she pulled a battered book and sat down to read opening it half way through. She settled back to read and pass the time until they reached Cecile's shop for the final checks.

* * *

**AUTHOR: Well I finally finished this chapter.**

**AARON: Why do I have to be bad at directions.**

**AUTHOR: From my experience so far most men are just bad at directions, and I am sorry, you cannot be good at everything.**

**AARON: Why can I not be good at directions.**

**HANNAH: At least I am better at one thing.**

**AUTHOR: Yep, that you are. **


	12. Chapter 12

_It is the year 2028 it has been ten years since Britannia's tyrant 99th emperor Lelouch died at Zero's hands. The progress of the world has gone from one of grudging hate between peoples of different nationalities, races, and religions to one that has new found respect between people with great differences and works around them. This great age is led by Britannia's Empress Nunnally "The Innocent", Zero, the leader of the Black Knights, Prince Schneizle of Britannia, and Empress Tianzi of the Chinese Federation among others._

_Hannah Yoshikawa and Aaron, a boy with the power of Geass, are hot on Lelouch's trail while Suzaku and Kallen are being directed to him and C.C. without their knowledge. It seems that the world has been told that Lelouch is alive and it is a race to see who can get to him first. The world of peace that had been established is threatened by those who search for truth in a battlefield of lies._

* * *

Nunnally sighed as she turned off the TV from her desk where she was currently working on a large stack of paperwork that had built up from the past few days. All the TV blared recently was a picture of her brother's face and C.C. and she was tired of seeing it, the anxiousness of him truly being alive upsetting her greatly. Instead she turned on her music and charming string melodies floated throughout the room. After finishing one file she rejected it before picking up another to scan the contents. She picked up her pen and thought a moment before applying her signature and stamping it with her seal. It was a long process and she was not the first ruler to find herself with a mountain of paperwork though she wished it would disappear and she could go out to the gardens where her chair allowed her to float among the wildflowers.

The garden had been built in memory of her brothers and sisters, although she had not always gotten along with them, she and Cornelia thought it was appropriate to have a memorial in their honor. There was a mural of Ares villa in honor of Clovis, a fountain rose garden for Euphemia, and little sub gardens for the rest with something about them present, whether their favorite flower or something else. The entire garden memorial was a lovely oasis that the public could visit, though she had a tucked away little section that only she and various members of the royal family could find and even enter.

Sighing she stretched her arms hearing them crack from being stuck in one position for so long. She reached for her tea cup but found it to be empty, she sighed again and rung a bell calling for some more tea. Moments later, which was a bill concerning the import tax of Sakuradite from Japan. She had edited the parts that needed to be fixed and put it in the basket for items that needed to be sent back to committee for review before she ever validated it as law.

Smiling she accepted the tea gratefully and noticed a note that after reading made her smile more. With renewed vigor she tackled the rest of the paperwork finishing it quickly and after her aide came and carried the documents away to the respected parties to receive them she left for the garden a small detail following her as she floated down the path.

Going along she found the little grove hidden off the path that only those who knew it was there could find. Inside there was no indication which child of the Britannian family it was but if someone looked around they would find subtle signs of who it was for. Entering a glass garden house Nunnally greeted those who were setting up the tea service.

"Cornelia nee-san, how are you?" she asked wheeling her chair over to her older sister and kissed her cheek when Cornelia bent down to hug her little sister.

"Wonderful and yourself? Cornelia asked as she poured the tea for herself and Nunnally.

"The note for the tea party invigorated me to finish the paperwork that had piled up and allowed me to finish it all. I really do not know how other leaders do it; the bills and laws seem endless sometimes. But then someone has to run the country," Nunnally said taking a sip of the tea sighing.

"Well, honestly better you than me. I was always a good soldier and right now I am just trying to be a good mother and wife," Cornelia said picking up her own cup and sipping.

"How is Guilford? I heard the surgery for the optics went well," Nunnally said relaxing to having a nice meeting with her sister.

"Great! He has not stopped looking at my face. He has the kids today, took them to the memorial park to play in the lake. He is supposed to take it easy and our guard has instructions to knock him out if he does not take it easy," Nunnally laughed at the thought. Cornelia had spent five years trying to convince Guilford to try optical eyes, lenses built into his eyes. It was something that scientist had been trying to do for years to help those affected by the F.L.E.I.G.H. warheads. As an effect of the blast those who physically saw the blast ended up with burned retinas and turned blind. Guilford finally gave in to Cornelia asking him about it and elected to have the surgery.

"Well I am glad that everything went well. Did you receive the email about Lelouch?" Nunnally asked her sister.

Cornelia in mid sip slowly placed her cup down on the table, her hand shaking before reaching for her napkin to dab her lips before nodding that she had received it.

"So you did not know about them either," Nunnally said judging her sisters behavior.

"When I saw Lelouch in that video, I was so shocked. He has not aged a day since then, it is remarkable that we never found him before," Cornelia said shaken.

"I know Zero, the Black Knights and many other people received the message. Schneizle and Zero have requested a small team to track down our brother and his companion along with another party, a party with Geass," Nunnally said and Cornelia gaped at her in shock.

"The core members of the UFN have agreed to let Zero and Schneizle do whatever they fell is necessary to track them down. I have given the Black Knights leave to use any resources within Britannia," Nunnally said taking a biscuit and nibbling it.

"Who is on the team? An elite team led by Captain Kallen Kouzuki and Major Shinji Kenshin," Nunnally said.

"Who is Major Shinji Kenshin, I do not think I know of him," Cornelia said sipping her tea. Nunnally waited until she had pulled the cup away from her lips and swallowed before speaking this time.

"Major Shinji Kenshin is a decorated officer with the Japanese division of the Black Knights though that is only on paper. In reality Major Shinji Kenshin is an alias for Suzaku Kururugi, whom we all know as Zero," Nunnally said waiting for her sister to be shocked.

"Really, I did not know his alias was Major Shinji Kenshin, I guess it was Schneizle's way of giving the man a break from the mask every once in a while," Cornelia said non-chalantly.

"You knew?" Nunnally asked confused.

"I knew Zero was Lelouch and the only one that could be Zero as he killed Lelouch was Suzaku. So I have known that Suzaku has been Zero for the past decade. For those who know the facts it is not hard to figure out," Cornelia said nonchalantly.

"Even though you have retired from the political life you are still very scary nee-san," Nunnally said with a laugh drawing a smile to Cornelia's lips.

"Well, I will stay out of this matter as I trust others to find the answers. I have my own affairs to deal with, and I wish to put these matters behind me finally," Cornelia said and Nunnally nodded agreeing with her sister.

"I was not going to ask you to join the task force; I just wanted you to know about it," Nunnally said.

"Your sweet, trying to look out for me. I am perfectly fine, though I thank you for informing me of the steps that are being taken," Cornelia said as she poured herself another cup of tea and refilled Nunnally's cup as well.

"So, how is your relationship coming with Prince Roald?" Cornelia asking causing Nunnally to blush.

"Roald, he, he, well…. Umm, he proposed," Nunnally whispered her face a bright shade of crimson, "I said yes."

Cornelia was shocked blinking at her sister, incredulity across her face. Nunnally was worried for a moment before Cornelia broke out in a smile and tears streamed down her face, "Congratulations are in order then. Who else knows that Scotland's third prince proposed to Britannia's empress?"

"Only my advisors, his advisors, and his parents. It is not official yet. WE agreed that we would announce it to the public in a month when his charity tour is finished," Nunnally said blushing.

"So, only a handful know about it. Will you make it a beg affair on public TV or just announce that you two are engaged?" Cornelia asked.

"Well, he was going to give me the ring when he originally proposed but he and his aide left the ring at his residence in Scotland. Then he bungled the proposal, I think we are going to make a big show about it. Show the world that we are bringing out countries together and seek their approval," Nunnally said.

"Well, I am glad for you. It shows that the world keeps spinning and we do not live in the past even though it is banging on our door," Cornelia said. Nunnally smiled at Cornelia before sighing, placing her cup on the table.

"I must be getting back to my work though, I have a cabinet meeting in an hour and I still need the files about the recent events to be delivered on my desk so that I can present it to them," Nunnally said apologizing. Cornelia nodded understanding and stood to kiss her sister on the cheek.

"It is a miracle that you became our empress. Bless you in the name of men, go and spread peace," Cornelia blessed her little sister and watched as Nunnally wheeled out of the secret garden heading back to the palace

* * *

Lelouch sat with his face in the table, his stomach had literally exploded. It seems that Nina had gotten Lila to dip cherry bombs in chocolate and feed them to Lelouch. He even thought that C.C. had been in on it as she had refused to try them.

"Why do I come back here?" he mused as he felt that he was just a proverbial punching bag here at Cecile and Lloyd's place. Sighing, he did not move when he heard the click of shoes on the wood in the hall. Feigning death he sat there without moving as the click changed from wood to the tile in the kitchen, he waited as he knew the person stood above him watching him.

"Lelouch, I know you are not dead. So, if you would kindly do so, get up and help me make some lunch for Lloyd," Cecile said and Lelouch sighed audibly again turning a bleary eye up to the woman glaring at her.

"Let me clean up the guts that are spilled all over the kitchen first," he said sitting up and standing gong to the cupboard to get the cleaning supplies. It was not the first time that he had spilt blood in the house and it would not be the last. With practiced movements he had the area picked up, clean and had gone to change while Cecile pulled a recipe book from the shelf, leafed through it pulling the recipe cards she wanted and taping them to the cupboard door next to the stove.

"Lloyd is on his way home?" Lelouch asked as he came back in to see a stack full of ingredients sitting on the table.

"Yes, he is bringing back the Guren and latest Lancelot. The Guren had apparently been stolen and he wants to bring it back to shop to run a diagnostic, also the Lancelot has not been used in a while so he wants me to do a specs check. He will be here for a few days then take them into the field where he will meet up with Kallen's unit," Cecile said as she pulled out a pot and began to fill it with water before putting it on the stove.

"So how many are we expecting?" Lelouch asked curious.

"Just Lloyd and a few assistants; if it was anyone to worry about we would tell you," Cecile said as she continued to pull out pots and pans for different things. Lelouch helped by looking at the recipes and immediately taking over control of the situation and began to help Cecile prepare. He was amazed that she was cooking so much but then, in the past when big projects came up she cooked big and had leftovers or starved. It was amazing that no one in the house had died from starvation, or Cecile's "inventions," before.

"Do you need help from C.C. or myself?" he asked as he started the oven and pulled a stack of pre-made pie crusts from the freezer to thaw.

"Maybe to do the pilot tests, just as long as you do not harm the machines," she said rounding on him with a wooden spoon that steamed from having just stirred a pot of boiling water.

"We would not think of doing such a thing," Lelouch said with a theatrical bow before saving the stove from over boiled water turning down the heat and adding some macaroni.

"Alright, you are all set here, do you want me to send Lila in?" she asked taking a step back as Lelouch dropped some butter into a sauce pan.

"Just as long as "Aunt" Nina does not tell her how to do anymore tricks," Lelouch said as he went into focus and efficiency mode.

"Alright, have fun. Lila, Uncle Lelouch says that you can cook with him," Cecile called and Lelouch noticed that Lila had been peeking into the kitchen from the hall looking a little sheepish.

"Sorry uncle Lulu, but Aunt Nina said that you would have just as much fun. I didn't know that your guts would explode like one of her experiments," he little girl apologized.

Tousling her blue hair that was slightly darker than Lloyd's, he smiled at her before dropping to a knee to look at her face to face, "Lila, it is ok. Your Aunt Nina is just making my life difficult, not that I do not deserve it, but still, sometimes it is not good to encourage her."

"Ok, Uncle Lulu," she said hugging him before going to pull up a bench that she stood on the reach the counter better.

* * *

Suzaku woke with a start when he felt a subtle bump as the craft landed. Shooting up with a hand shooting out nearly missing hitting Kallen, she too had had her own rude awakening and had nearly smacked him. For a moment they paused reading each other before relaxing and realizing that everyone in the cabin had stopped what they were doing to watch in fascination at their superior officers.

"Well, I am glad that ride is over. Come on, let us be going to the shop, times a wasting Major Kenshin, Captain Kouzuki," Lloyd said in his carefree manner that automatically made the two officers look at him in disgust.

"Alright, let's move out," Kallen shouted getting the squad moving as Suzaku stayed back with Lloyd as they descended to the transports that would take them and the units to

"Did you let Cecile know that we were coming?" Suzaku asked his friend and old boss.

"Yes, and she said Lila was cooking for us, enough to feed the whole squad as we did a last check fine tune on Guren and Lancelot before taking off on a chase," Lloyd said dejected.

"Well, Lila is a better cook isn't she?" Suzaku asked remembering the last time he had been over and Lila had cooked for them.

"That's only because a good friend is staying with them right now, his food is the only thing edible in the house. I do not know how I managed to make it in time for his food this time," Lloyd said brightening.

"OH, who is he?" Suzaku asked his interest piqued.

"Oh, an old friend. I will let you meet him when we get there, actually you should take him on in a simulated battle, let me call Cecile and have her prep one of the old units, maybe two of them, make it a two on two battle between you and Kallen and he and his friend," Lloyd said not elaborating on the subject.

"He and his friend?" Suzaku asked really curious now, he was about to ask but Lloyd was already on the phone.

"Yes sweeting, yes we just landed and are about an hour away. It is, splendid; say would you mind pulling out old Vivienne and Merlin for our friends use? I think we should set up Su… um... Shinji and Kallen to use their Knightmares against our friends… Yes… No… Splendid… Course B? Can you have Nina upload the battle simulation programs wirelessly to the Lancelot and Guren? Yes dear… Alright, we can make a picnic out of it. So two hours then… Can't wait to see you," Lloyd hung up the phone and continued walking across the tarmac beginning to hum to himself.

"So?" Suzaku asked questioning Lloyd who seemed to have forgotten him.

"Oh? Yes, dinner is ready and they will meet us at a practice sight about forty-five minutes from the house. Cecile is pulling out two models that never went into production and I have always wanted to see them go head to head with competent pilots and opponents," Lloyd said refusing to elaborate.

"Are you two going to jump on or do we have to leave you here at the airport?" Kallen yelled as the transports started up and began to roll out.

"Wait, you have to know where we are going!" Lloyd shouted and looked awkward as he ran to his car with Suzaku right behind him.

It was a short ride compared to the flight and they were all busy setting up the Guren and Lancelot and prepping them for the mock fight. All too soon they had arrived at the pre-arranged sight; a pocked grassland with a river and depressions. A base camp with a concrete building sat a mile from the front gates that labeled the area as a Knightmare testing and training ground. After opening the containers and letting the programs download the squads were dismissed to dinner as Suzaku and Kallen in their Knightmares looked across the field at two Knightmares waiting for them. Cecile walked into their view with her daughter at her side and she began to address the pilots.

"Lancelot, Guren, Vivienne, Merlin; this is only a mock battle. All rounds are non-lethal and your Knightmares have been programmed to register damage and work accordingly. Winner will be declared when one side is disabled, forfeits, or a winner is declared by a judge after a sufficient amount of time. Disabled is when your Knightmare can no longer run whether by hits or energy fillers run out. There is only one back up for each unit so use them wisely. Do you all understand the rules? Any questions?" Cecile spoke looking at either side.

The only response she received was Merlin powering up its staff, twirling it and imbedding it in the ground. Lancelot nodded as motors revved in the two newcomers and Cecile stepped back watching both sets of units.

"Battle Launch," she said, Lancelot and Guren powered out of their transports in the blink of an eye and quickly engaged in battle with Vivienne and Merlin. The sound of their clack echoed across the area causing several of the onlookers to cover their ears. Lancelot pulled his sword striking a mid-blow at Merlin only to have it blocked by the staff then the staff swept up knocking the sword above their head and kicked out with the butt towards Lancelot's abdomen. Suzaku made his unit jump back surprised by the fluidity of the unit. He had never gone against one that's man weapon was a staff and was curious of this person's ability. Dropping back, Lancelot took a defensive stance watching as Merlin twirled the staff and placed it back in the ground waiting for the Lancelot. Suzaku was surprised at this action. He glanced over at Kallen only to see her and the Vivienne locked in heated battle.

* * *

Kallen powered out of her container aimed straight at the one called Vivienne. It was an odd machine with a head of large cables that looked like hair. She did not know what the cables did, but the green strands were to be worried about but the Vivienne needed to be worried about the Guren and its special abilities.

Almost immediately the two began hand to hand combat. Neither looked to have conventional weapons but neither seemed to need them. High strikes, blocks, it became a flurry of motion and the Vivienne never let the Kallen have a chance to use the radiant wave surger, always keeping the right hand off of her machine. Whoever the pilot of the Vivienne was he or she was excellent and Kallen thought she had fount with this person before as the movements were familiar but she could not recall who it would, or could be.

A final strike from each unit caused them to slide back away from one another. Kallen sweat trying to find the opening in the Vivienne's stance. Vivienne only circled the Guren keeping an exact distance and forcing Kallen to follow the Vivienne. After a moment Kallen got impatient and charged, "Well, if you won't come to me, how about this?" the Guren surged forward and when at a length away from the Vivienne, the Guren jumped almost vaulting over the other Knightmare, but just as she cleared the Vivienne she grasped the other unit's shoulders planting the radiant wave surger in Vivienne's face. "I got you," and Kallen activated the device that made her unit one of the most feared among the Black Knights. Kallen smiled then frowned when the wave surger stopped functioning; as the image cleared she saw that the cabled hair had latched itself around the Guren's arm attaching itself to the mechanics. "Warning, Radiant Wave Surger disabled, please enter passcode… Warning…" the computer voice rang through the cockpit and Kallen was in disbelief as the Vivienne grasped the Guren and threw it across the field straight at the Lancelot who had resumed fighting with the Merlin.

* * *

Lelouch sat in Merlin's cockpit attached to the seat controls that enabled him to control the Knightmare. The Merlin had ended up becoming his machine when it became official that no one without cybernetics, or immortality like C.C. and Lelouch had, would be able to pilot the machine. Lelouch had ended up becoming the devicer for Merlin and C.C. for Vivienne which was built along the same specifications as Merlin but with other abilities. The units had exoskeleton technology that basically inserted itself into the devicer, through the spine, and tapping into the neural pathways allowing for the machine to be mentally controlled just as much as it was physically controlled. This was good for Lelouch as he could unconsciously move and also make calculations in split seconds that his body could not react to as fast. It also allowed his consciousness more freedom to analyze and react to his opponent's reactions or input data into the staff's weapon which could be a concentrated beam laser, spread, or defensive shielding. The trick was that it was a modulating code able to adapt to, repulse, or totally negate any other beam weapon, sword or laser. To say Merlin was built for Lelouch would have been a terrible understatement.

Lelouch had known from the moment that Cecile had walked between the four units and spoke to them that he had been played from moment one. He knew who the pilots in the Guren and Lancelot were and was pissed that they had so easily tricked him. He had turned on a private channel to C.C. to curse her out but Cecile had singled the start of the match and the Lancelot launched straight at him. He saw what Suzaku was doing and raised his staff effortlessly, deflecting the initial strike and giving back one of his own. Ten years ago the move would have been impossible for him but after three years in the secluded Himalayan mountains with C.C. and a bunch of warrior Buddhist monks he had honed his body to that of a fighter and given it a strength he had never had as a mortal, it also helped that he was no longer mortal.

He knew that C.C. and Kallen were in an all-out battle and that C.C. would probably come out on top as she knew the Guren and Kallen, even though both had not been in their lives for ten years. Kallen on the other hand did not know the Vivienne, nor was that she fighting C.C.

He almost felt sorry for the two old friends; they did not know what they had stepped into. Lelouch shot forward taking the initiative, attacking Suzaku and putting him on the defensive. Lelouch did it all not only by the physical controls but the mental ones through the exoskeleton technology that integrated Lelouch with Merlin making him not only better but faster and more lethal.

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Suzaku did not have time to reflect when the Merlin shot forward attacking him and it took all of Suzaku's concentration to keep himself from being knocked out. He opted to use his shield for most of the defense, crouching behind it as the Merlin sent and onslaught of blows forcing the Lancelot to lose ground. Suddenly, Merlin backed off spinning his staff high in the air before plunging the end into the ground, Suzaku's eyes widened as the top glowed purple before firing a single laser beam at him and was surprised when the beam cut right through his energy shield and the Lancelot lost control of his left arm.

Discarding the non-working shield Suzaku made the Lancelot run full out towards the Merlin with the only though in his mind to get the staff away from him. As he drew closer he felt himself suddenly being lifted off the ground, the world tipping sideways before feeling the bone shattering crash of the Guren entangling itself with the Lancelot and the two machines were down for the count at the computers registered fatal hits and shut down.

Cecile's voice rang in all the units as she declared, "The winner's are Vivienne and Merlin. Will all pilots please dock their units and exit. We have dinner waiting for the four of you," she said and Suzaku was able to regain control of the Lancelot so that he could guide it back to it's transport. He dismounted and little shamefaced and made his way to the building where he found his squad already eating and cheering. Kallen came in a few moments behind him, her head hung in shame as some of the veteran squad members came and congratulated her. Lloyd came up behind Suzaku with a plate full of Mac n cheese and said, "You did better than I thought against the Merlin, but then you were always my favorite and best devicer. What did you think of the Merlin?" he said striking up a conversation as someone handed Suzaku a plate and he just picked at hit.

"I think I just had my ass handed to me, who was that pilot? And what is that Knightmare?" he asked looking up at Lloyd for an explanation.

"Well, the pilots should be coming in in a minute their transports are a little farther afield than ours were. But, those two Knightmare are very special, they have exoskeleton technology allowing for the machine to interface with the pilot thus the pilot become apart of the machine while still having physical control. It is a wonderful concept we learned from Jeremiah and his wonderful concoction of a Knightmare. Cecile and I only perfected the technology a few years ago, but only a handful of people can operate the Vivienne or the Merlin. Ah, there is the Vivienne's pilot now," Lloyd said pointing to a green haired girl that walked in straightening her shirt as Cecile's daughter ran up with a plate of pizza for her. Suzaku's blood ran cold when he recognized her and he instantly knew who the other pilot had been.

"You set us up!" Suzaku said to Lloyd putting down his plate and stalked up to the green haired witch known as C.C.

"Oh, you're here already?" she said as soon as Suzaku was in hearing range. Suzaku shook violently as the girl took a bite of pizza without care that she was the center of attention not only from the squad but also because they saw that their two commanders were stalking this one person and were filled with anger.

Suzaku calmed himself enough that he was able to speak three words, "Where is he?"

"Oh, he won't come out of his Knightmare. He is afraid to see you at the moment, though I would say that you could easily drag him out, if the both of you go," C.C. said as she walked away to a table and sat down as some of the squad guys crowded her and began to ask her questions about her Knightmare and herself.

Suzaku and Kallen nodded at each other as they set out towards where the Vivienne and Merlin were docked, they did not have to go far as Lelouch was already walking over, though he moved with hesitation. They stopped only a few feet away from one another, Lelouch and Suzaku looked at one another until finally Suzaku said, "Lelouch!" and pulled back his arm and with all his might swung his fist into Lelouch's face.

Lelouch saw it coming and could have dodged, he was at least that athletic these days but instead he stood there and took it allowing for all of Suzaku's hatred to connect with that one blow and Lelouch was sent flying back and Suzaku was on him like a tiger using Lelouch as a punching bag.

"Why the hell did you never tell me that you were alive? Ten years I have mourned you along with everyone else and yet here you are right beneath my nose alive and well. What do you have to say to me, what do you have to say to Nunnally, to Kallen, to Cornelia, Schneizle, Milly, to all of us. You idiot, do you think we would have slept better knowing that you were still alive?" Suzaku wept as he stopped hitting Lelouch and Lelouch groaned as his nose, broken from the punching righted itself.

"Suzaku, I am sorry to put you through this. Yes I left, but not because I did not want to be with all of you, but because soon I will be the one mourning you and letting you go would be harder than anything else in the world," Lelouch said he looked up at Kallen who had walked around and sank to her knees weeping before getting her own punch in.

"Oh, talk about hitting a guy when he is knocked down," Lelouch mumbled as Kallen wept, but soon Lelouch realized that they were tears of joy.

"Why? Why? You look the same as you did that day. So why?" Kallen took off running and Suzaku turned watching her run back to the Guren confused by her reaction. He turned when Lelouch groaned, "Hey, do you mind getting off me now?"

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**Author: Sorry it took so long but life gets in the way.**

**Aaron: yes, we know. You just finished one of the craziest semesters of your life.  
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**Hannah: Don't worry Aaron, it just means it will take longer for her to finish.  
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**Aaron: but we are getting close to the end here.  
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**Author: Ah, Aaron, we should not be telling the readers this.  
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**Hannah: Is it really going to end?  
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**Author: (sigh) Not for another few chapters at least. I have the ending in mind though... Well review please and let me know what you think.**


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